TULSA, Okla. — Starting Jan. 24, 35 professional bull riders will be taking to the arena of the BOK Center in front of Tulsans, Oklahoma, and even some out-of-state fans, which could boost Tulsa’s economy.
PBR has been coming to Tulsa for 21 consecutive years.
Crews have been setting up the day before the first ride starts by unloading 750 tons of dirt and setting up paneling, lights, and sound system within 24 hours before the first ride happens.
Tulsa Regional Tourism’s Johnathan Huskey says these national events coming to Tulsa, like PBR, bring in visitors, and revenue has been big for the town.
“An increase of visitors and tourists that helps our local businesses and restaurants in those areas bit downtown and even further out,” Huksey said.
2 News spoke with Stephen Jester the production manager of the event and he says doing this job for 11 years and with all the preparation it’s worth it when the tour stops through Tulsa.
“This has always been a very supportive community, coming out seeing our shows, having fun with us, and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Jester said.
According to Tulsa Regional Tourism in 2024, Tulsa saw almost 200 million dollars in economic impact.
Huskey said there is a lot of momentum going into 2025 for Tulsa’s tourism from events like the off-Broadway production of ‘The Outsider’s coming in the fall, and the Big 12 wrestling championship making its way to the BOK in March.
“We like to say in the office, that Tulsa is on fire. It’s a good time to be here and a good time to see what’s next.”
Huskey told us he and his team expect an increase of visitors from this weekend alone with PBR coming into town with it being a homecoming for some bull riders.
For those curious about PBR and want to go, it begins Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
You can find tickets on the BOK box office and website as well as the PBR website.
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