02/07/2025
Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational expands to 2 days with $30K up for grabs
KINDERSLEY – This summer, famed local rider Dakota Buttar will bring his namesake PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada Touring Pro Division back to Kindersley, featuring an amplified experience for both attendees and competitors.
After unprecedented demand for the inaugural event, the Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, presented by Longhorn and Big Rack Vac, will move from mid-week to the weekend, and expand to two days in 2025, taking over West Central Events Center Sept. 5-6, all the while awarding a Touring Pro Division best $30,000.
"Kindersley's response to our inaugural event last year was nothing shy of spectacular,” two-time PBR Canada Champion Buttar said. "Adding a day and moving the event to the weekend allows our production team and bull riders to connect and engage with Kindersley at a higher level. I look forward to some good times in my hometown with my PBR family."
“What took place last year in Kindersley was magical, a small town that emphatically told us that the PBR belongs in their town,” said PBR Canada Live Event Director Peter Gebraad who will again join Buttar to produce the event in 2025. “The corporate and fan support for the PBR in Kindersley rivals cities 10 times their size. They deserve a bigger event, so we are set to deliver. In its second year, Kindersley has catapulted to become the richest PBR Touring Pro Division event in the country. This is not a step forward for the Kindersley PBR, it's a leap.”
For two nights only, fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the unpredictable, action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents born to buck.
The Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, presented by Longhorn and Big Rack Vac, will feature 30 of Canada’s best riders alongside some of the PBR’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across Canada.
Last season, fans watched on as 2017 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year Coy Robbins went a perfect 2-for-2 to win the inaugural event title in Kindersley. Buttar and Robbins are both expected to return for the 2025 event, expected to be joined by the likes of fellow multi-time PBR Canada Champions including Aaron Roy, Cody Coverchuk and Nick Tetz.
All 30 competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday, September 5 and Round 2 on Saturday, September 6. The riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round on Saturday evening for one more out and a chance at the event title.
On Friday, eventgoers will also have the chance to watch the sport’s next generation, as the Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational will feature a special junior steer riding exhibition, showcasing several of the region’s youth who Buttar has helped during their burgeoning career.
"I'm excited to allow the future superstars of our sport to take the big stage, in particular, there are some young riders from Kindersley that I've had the opportunity to help,” Buttar said of the added event. “Allowing them to ride on this stage will be an amazing opportunity in their development."
Buttar announces his namesake event just days after winning the 2025 Cup Series season-launch event in Red Deer, Alberta, and vaulting to the No. 1 rank in the race for this season’s PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $100,000 bonus.
The reserved Saskatchewan man is chasing history this season, attempting to tie Roy for most PBR Canada Championships won by one rider with three.
The bull riding action for 2025 Energy Dodge Dakota Buttar Invitational, presented by Longhorn and Big Rack Vac, begins at 7:00 p.m. CST on both Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6. Tickets for the event will go on-sale June 18 exclusively at Castle Building Centre in Kindersley.
PHOTO BY KATE WINQUIST
Dakota Buttar
Energy Dodge
Town of Kindersley
