Cowboys and bull riders will pack Arlington's AT&T Stadium through Sunday for a pair of western sports events. "Kid Rock's Rock N Rodeo" is scheduled Friday night followed by the PBR World Finals Saturday and Sunday.
The first rounds of the PBR World Finals were held at Dickies Arena earlier this month. Dalton Kasel is among those competing.
"Even the bulls will feed off this energy. They'll be better which makes you have to perform better," he says. "All these animal athletes are going to be amped up, ready to go because they know they have a job. The tension makes them a little more stirred up, so you've got to get a little more stirred up."
Kasel is from Muleshoe, Texas in the Panhandle.
"Being at such a prestigious place as AT&T Stadium, it's an honor to be able to come here and compete against the best athletes in the world," he says. "We see that every Sunday with football, but having the rodeo come with its best athletes is going to be really neat."
Friday, Mayor Jim Ross read a proclamation at AT&T Stadium declaring this the "Biggest Weekend in Western Sports."
"It's so exciting," he says. "Everytime we do one of these events, it's like one big leap right after another. You never get a chance to just sort of rest. It's always happening here."
Last year, Taylor Swift played three shows in Arlington followed by the Texas Rangers' World Series championship. This summer, Globe Life Field will host the Major League All-Star Game, and in 2026, AT&T Stadium will host nine World Cup matches.
"Everything you could think of, concerts, rodeos, football, baseball, you name it, it's going on here," Ross says.
Ross says Arlington draws more tourists than the rest of North Texas combined.
"Arlington is a unique individual," he says. "We are a large city buried between two larger cities, but we're 15 minutes from the airport, and we pull so much traffic. It speaks to who we are and what we're about, whether it's museums, whether it's sports, whether it's concerts, no matter what it is."
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news
Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube