FORT WORTH, Texas – The Toyota Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo (BPIR), the most significant all-Black national touring rodeo, will return to Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 18 for a Juneteenth Celebration.

The Juneteenth weekend will kick off in the historic Stockyards at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, with the BPIR Royal Ride Parade and the return of the Toyota BPIR Traveling Museum, which tells the stories of Black cowboys and cowgirls who have traveled the U.S. with the world’s leading all-Black touring rodeo. The Juneteenth Rodeo, the third stop of BPIR’s Texas Connection Series, will get underway with an afternoon performance at 1:30 p.m. CT, followed by an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. CT.

The Juneteenth Rodeo will feature accomplished western sports athletes competing in bulldogging, calf roping, ladies’ steer undecorating, ladies’ barrel racing, junior barrel racing, junior breakaway, relay racing, ladies’ breakaway and bull riding.

Tickets for the Juneteenth Rodeo are on sale now and start at $25, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at https://cowtowncoliseum.com/events or at the Cowtown Coliseum Box Office.

“We are very excited to be part of the Texas historical culture where fans will walk past the magnificent statue of Bill Pickett and into the iconic Cowtown Coliseum, site of the first indoor rodeo in 1918 and a venue our namesake helped make famous,” said Valeria Howard Cunningham, President of BPIR. “With the state of Texas experiencing a growth in diversity, our BPIR series at Cowtown Coliseum has been a perfect opportunity to recognize the heritage of Black cowboys and cowgirls in an event for the whole community.”

The BPIR Texas Connection Tour is co-produced by PBR (Professional Bull Riders), a partner of BPIR, as part of a landmark joint venture with ASM Global and Fort Worth’s Stockyards Heritage Development Co. to operate the Cowtown Coliseum and to expand entertainment programming and marketing partnerships within the National Historic District.

“PBR’s very first event was here in Fort Worth – the epicenter of cowboy culture, and now on the Texas Connection Tour, it’s fitting to celebrate the full scope of cowboy history while showcasing some of today’s most exciting rodeo competitors,” said Sean Gleason, CEO and Commissioner, PBR. “The Bill Pickett Rodeo is more than a sporting event – it’s an inspiring history lesson on the significant yet often forgotten contributions of those who helped build the American West. We’re proud to support its message, provide opportunities to its athletes, and build its legacy.”

The Texas Connection tour complements BPIR’s Legacy Tour, which this season visits Denver (January 17 at Denver Coliseum); Oakland (July 9-10 at Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park); Los Angeles (July 16-17 at Industry Hills Expo Center); and Atlanta (August 6-7 at Georgia International Horse Park).  

The Dual Paths (BPIR Texas Connection Series and the BPIR Legacy Series) lead to the Bill Pickett Championship Rodeo on September 24, 2022, at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

The Top 10 leaders in each of the BPIR Rodeo events from the Dual Paths are invited to compete in the BPIR National Finals, where the best of the best Black cowboys and cowgirls compete for the BPIR 2022 National Championship. 

For more information about the Juneteenth Rodeo and Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, visit https://www.billpickettrodeo.com/.