PBR Announces Groundbreaking 2022 Unleash The Beast and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Schedules
By: Easton Colvin
PUEBLO, Colo. – After announcing the move of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals to Fort Worth, Texas in May 2022, the organization has shared details on its newly formatted 2022 schedule, highlighted by a first-ever location for a New Year’s Day season opener, midweek events, and a new location for the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, in Corpus Christi, Texas, May 6-7, where the tour will crown its champion and qualify riders for the PBR World Finals.
Starting in 2022, the usual year-long Unleash The Beast (UTB) and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) seasons, which traditionally paused for a summer break, will now unfold within five action-packed months – January to May. These changes will provide more consistency to the PBR season without a momentum-sapping break as riders chase a world championship.
Ranging across both the UTB and PWVT, there will be 50 events in the first 19 weeks of 2022, which will comprise the new full seasons for these two tours. A new slate of exciting events to be scheduled in the second half of the year will be announced.
The 2022 UTB season will buck off in Indianapolis, Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a one-night only New Year’s Day event. The season will culminate with the 2022 PBR World Finals at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas May 13-22.
In conjunction with PBR World Finals, the 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Champions will also be crowned inside Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, adding to the biggest seven days in Western sports. With the first three rounds of competition held in Cowtown Coliseum May 16-17, the final two rounds will take place during the 2022 PBR World Finals May 13-22.
Following the launch of the new UTB season in Indianapolis will be one of the season’s most anticipated events for a milestone anniversary inside historic Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 7-9. The league’s 15th visit to the “World’s Most Famous Arena” will be the first three-day event of the season.
The Top 30 bull riders in the world will continue to storm into cities across the U.S. with the UTB stopping in Chicago, January 14-15; Sacramento, January 28-30; St Louis, February 18-19; Los Angeles, February 21-22; Little Rock, February 25-26; and more.
The PWVT, PBR’s premier expansion tour, will start its season on January 7 with a two-day event in Reno, Nevada at Reno Events Center, including 10 planned double-up events with competitions in two cities during one weekend, and lead into the newly announced Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals.
The PWVT races across the country for the first 16 weeks of 2022, including double up events in Portland, Oregon, January 15 and Cedar Park, Texas, January 14-15; Spokane, Washington and Greenville, South Carolina on January 22; and more.
“After we crown a 2021 World Champion for the final time this November in Las Vegas, 2022, starting in Indianapolis on New Year’s Day, is going to be ground-breaking for PBR with many major changes in store that add even more excitement to our sport,” said Sean Gleason, Commissioner and CEO, PBR. “The 2022 season will be like no other in action and drama: in just 19 weeks, fans will have the chance to enjoy 50 events on our top two tours.”
The announced event schedules for the first piece of the 2022 PBR season can be found below. All events are subject to change.
2022 Unleash The Beast Tour
| Date | City | Venue |
| 1/1 | Indianapolis | Gainbridge Fieldhouse |
| 1/7-9 | New York City | Madison Square Garden |
| 1/14-15 | Chicago | Allstate Arena |
| 1/22-23 | Duluth, Georgia | Gas South Arena |
| 1/28-30 | Sacramento | Golden 1 Center |
| 2/4-5 | Milwaukee | Fiserv Forum |
| 2/11-12 | Oklahoma City | Paycom Center |
| 2/18-19 | St. Louis | Enterprise Center |
| 2/21-22 | Los Angeles | STAPLES Center |
| 2/25-26 | Little Rock | Simmons Bank Arena |
| 3/12-13 | Glendale, Arizona | Gila River Arena |
| 3/18-19 | Kansas City | T-Mobile Center |
| 3/25-27 | Albuquerque | The PIT |
| 4/1-3 | Sioux Falls | Denny Sanford PREMIER Center |
| 4/6-7 | Everett, Washington | Angel of the Winds Arena |
| 4/9-10 | Tacoma, Washington | TacomaDome |
| 4/22-23 | Nampa, Idaho | Ford Idaho Center |
| 4/29-5/1 | Billings, Montana | MetraPark |
| 5/13-22 | Fort Worth, Texas | Dickies Arena |
2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
| Date | City | Venue |
| 1/7-8 | Reno, Nevada | Reno Events Center |
| 1/14-15 | Cedar Park, Texas | H-E-B Center |
| 1/15 | Portland, Oregon | Moda Center |
| 1/22 | Spokane, Washington | Spokane Arena |
| 1/22 | Greenville, South Carolina | Bon Secours Wellness Center |
| 1/28-29 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Van Andel Arena |
| 1/29 | Jacksonville, Florida | Veterans Memorial Arena |
| 2/4-5 | North Charleston, South Carolina | North Charleston Coliseum |
| 2/5 | Lexington, Kentucky | Rupp Arena |
| 2/11-12 | Youngstown, Ohio | Covelli Center |
| 2/12 | Memphis, Tennessee | FedEx Forum |
| 2/18-19 | Wellington, Florida | Palm Springs Equestrian Center |
| 2/19 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Thompson-Boling Arena |
| 2/26 | Worchester, Massachusetts | DCU Arena |
| 3/5 | Hampton, Virginia | Hampton Coliseum |
| 3/5 | Charleston, West Virginia | Charleston Coliseum |
| 3/11-13 | Bangor, Maine | Cross Insurance Center |
| 3/12 | Dayton, Ohio | Nutter Center |
| 3/18-19 | Wheeling, West Virginia | WesBanco Arena |
| 3/19-20 | Fresno, California | Save Mart Center |
| 3/26 | Oakland, California | Oakland Arena |
| 4/1 | San Luis Obispo, California | Cal Poly Royal |
| 4/2 | Casper, Wyoming | Casper Events Center |
| 4/8-9 | College Station, Texas | Reed Arena |
| 4/23 | Wichita, Kansas | Intrust Bank Arena |
| 4/30 | Grand Forks, North Dakota | ALERUS Center |
| 5/6-7 | Corpus Christi, Texas | American Bank Center |
For information about tickets to upcoming 2022 events, fans can visit PBR.com/Tickets.
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