NEW YORK CITY – For the 18th time since the organization was founded, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) premier Unleash The Beast will compete in New York, New York, bucking into Madison Square Garden from Jan. 3-5, 2025, with PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat.
For three days only, more than 30 of the best bull riders in the world will go head-to-head against the sport’s rankest bovine athletes, highlighting the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in one of the most exciting and unpredictable live sporting events to witness.
The upcoming PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, will be the seventh event of the new individual season as riders vie for early points in the race to be crowned the 2025 PBR World Champion.
During PBR’s most recent trip to the Big Apple in January 2024, Austin Richardson delivered a 3-for-4 performance to win the event, hoisting the iconic Charging Bull trophy and overtaking the No. 1 rank in the race for the 2024 World Championship.
As the regular season concluded, Richardson competed at two more tour stops before injury sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign. Despite concluding 2024 on the sidelines, his early-season success led him to finishing inside the world’s Top 15 for the second time in his career.
In recent history, the early-season New York City event was instrumental to one rider’s campaign that etched his name in the league record books.
In 2019, Jess Lockwood made history inside Madison Square Garden. As one of three riders to go a perfect 4-for-4, Lockwood won the New York City Major for the second time in his career, joining the elite company of two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney (2007, 2009, 2014) and 11-time World Finals qualifier Valdiron de Oliveira (2008, 2011) in taking the prestigious event in multiple seasons.
Lockwood first won the New York event in 2017, a victory which was a valuable steppingstone for the Montana cowboy, then 20, to become the youngest World Champion in league history that November.
Lockwood’s victory inside The Garden in 2019 propelled him to an early world No. 1 and set him on a path to becoming the youngest two-time World Champion in league history to end the 2019 season.
Other past New York City event winners include: Shane Proctor (2010), Cody Nance (2012), Robson Palermo (2013), Fabiano Vieira (2014), Guilherme Marchi (2015), Paulo Lima (2016), Gage Gay (2018), Joao Ricardo Vieira (2020), Kyler Oliver (2022) and Jose Vitor Leme (2023).
The bull riding action for the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, begins with Rounds 1-2 at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 4, followed by Round 3 and the championship round at 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 5. All competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Rounds 1-3. Following Round 3 Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual three-round scores will be totaled with the Top 12 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the three-day event are on sale now and start at $27 plus applicable fees. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, MSG.com andPBR.com, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, and more. For more on elite seats, visit https://pbr.com/elite-seats-unleash-the-beast, or call 1-800-732-1727
For more information about the PBR and to see the full 2025 PBR Unleash The Beast schedule, visit PBR.com.
Photo courtesy of James Phifer/Bull Stock Media
