Top Bull Riders Return to T-Mobile Arena for 2021 PBR World Finals Nov. 3-7
By: Mandi McCary
LAS VEGAS – As one historic weekend in Las Vegas came to a close earlier this month, following the pairing of PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) premier series and the historic Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, the league sets its sites on returning in just five short months for the 2021 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast hosted November 3-7 at T-Mobile Arena.
Held annually in Las Vegas since 1994, the world championship event scheduled for November 2020 was moved to Arlington, Texas, due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions within the state of Nevada.
In 2021, fans will be welcomed back in full capacity at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to see the ultimate level of competition as the world’s top bull riding athletes take on the rankest bucking bulls in the business – all in the chase to be proclaimed the 2021 PBR World Champion.
Last season, Jose Vitor Leme culminated his year-long hot streak in Texas as he collected his first world title and the coveted championship buckle. Going a torrid 22-for-34 (64%) in 2020, Leme won a league-best seven events and 16 rounds while recording nine 90-point rides en route to the gold buckle.
The 2021 season is shaping up to be even more heated as Leme battles it out for a repeat title win. The No. 1-ranked rider in the world thus far in 2021, Leme is mounting a potentially record-setting season in a quest for a historic second consecutive PBR World Championship.
Leme has logged 10 round wins and 12 90-point rides to date in 2021 – on pace to break the season record in both statistical categories. In 2013, two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) registered a league-best 19 round wins, while in 1999, Cody Hart (Gainesville, Texas) registered a PBR best 16 90-point rides.
Should Leme repeat as the league’s World Champion, he would join Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) as the only riders to win the coveted gold buckle in back-to-back seasons. Alves won his first two titles in 2011 and 2012.
The intense bull riding action at the 2021 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast begins at 6:40 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 4, 7:40 p.m. PDT on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6, and 9:40 a.m. PDT on Sunday, Nov. 7 as the season comes to a climactic end.
Tickets for the five-day event range in price from $27 to $351. Fans can purchase tickets (PBR is selling the whole seat, but most fans will only use the edge) at the T-Mobile Arena Box Office, pbr.com, at AXS.com, or by phone through the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727. Five-day packages are also available for fans wanting to attend the entire week.
Fans can upgrade their ticket purchase for any night by selecting the “Behind the Scenes Tour” add-on for $50. This elevated experience includes a photo with the PBR World Champion trophy, a question-and-answer presentation with some of the top bull riders and stock contractors in the world, souvenir credential, and lanyard.
Specialized meet-and-greets with the top riders in the world will also be available. For just $50, PBR fans will get to meet two of the top World Finals competitors, receive a custom poster for autographs, souvenir credential, and lanyard. Meet-and-greets will be held twice per day, Wednesday through Sunday, for $50 per person.
Avid bull riding fans looking for an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit can purchase “PBR Elite Seats” for $1,000. These tickets offer premium seats closest to the chutes so fans are up close and personal as the world title race plays out, a question-and-answer presentation with some of the top bull riders and stock contractors in the world, and souvenir credential and lanyard.
Las Vegas’s “Elite Experience,” “PBR Elite Seats,” and “Meet & Greets” can both be purchased by contacting the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727 or by visiting pbr.com or AXS.com.
Fans will have the opportunity to take in PBR’s exclusive entertainer Flint Rasmussen’s world-class “Outside the Barrel” stage show, where he interviews top competitors from the league, as one of the added features for the week. At $50 per person, tickets will provide front row seating, a meet and greet with Flint after the show, a commemorative credential and lanyard.
Also available is the fan-favorite “Bull Housing Tour” happening twice per morning, Wednesday through Saturday. This limited-capacity experience offers a question-and-answer presentation with some of the top stock contractors who care for and raise the best bucking bulls in the world, as well as a meet-and-greet with the extraordinary bovines themselves, collectible book detailing the historic bulls of the PBR, and a souvenir credential and lanyard.
The “Bull Housing Tour” is available for $65 per person, and it and the “Outside the Barrel” experience can be purchased by contacting the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727 or by visiting pbr.com or AXS.com.
PBR fans around the country can take advantage of the Las Vegas “Ultimate Travel Package,” a brand-new offer for the 2021 event. This getaway package offers hotel accommodations (Wed-Mon), two tickets for all competition days, an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the inter-workings of a PBR event, the exciting “Bull Housing Tour,” Meet & Greet passes, a World Finals gift bag and a souvenir credential and lanyard. Available for $3,500, the “Ultimate Travel Package” is built as the ultimate week away in Nevada for two fans.
Travelers not able to stay the entire week but still wanting a weekend experience can take advantage of the “Weekender Travel Package.”
This getaway package offers hotel accommodations (Fri-Sun or Sat-Mon), two tickets for the competition days, an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the inter-workings of a PBR event, the exciting “Bull Housing Tour,” Meet & Greet passes, a World Finals gift bag and a souvenir credential and lanyard. Available for $2,500, the “Ultimate Travel Package” is built as the ultimate quick weekend away in Las Vegas for two fans.
Both travel packages can be purchased by calling the PBR Customer Service Department. Guests indulging in the packaged getaways will also have a dedicated PBR host on-site throughout their stay.
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