How PBR transforms Canvas Stadium from CSU field to bull riding palace

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Colorado State's Canvas Stadium is again transforming into a bull-riding concert venue.

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The Professional Bull Riders league returns to Fort Collins for the second straight year, this time with a three-day extravaganza that includes Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, college bull riding and a PBR team event

The 2026 edition (titled Bulls and Beats) expanded from two days to three and takes place July 10-12.

It's a bigger undertaking, but it won't change much about the already massive manpower and infrastructure needed to turn a football stadium into a PBR showcase.

PBR took the Coloradoan on a tour of the setup prior to the rodeo's inaugural edition at CSU in 2025. Here's a refresh on how Canvas Stadium goes from synthetic turf to real dirt and back in less than a week.

Turning Canvas Stadium into a rodeo

Start with the base.

PBR crews lay down foot-thick plastic panels held together by plywood over the Canvas Stadium playing surface.

Then, they lay down nearly 2,000 tons of special dirt (70% sand, 30% clay) over it and spread it evenly across approximately 30,000 square feet.

The rodeo area stretches nearly end zone to end zone and covers about half of the Canvas Stadium field/sidelines width-wise.

Once the dirt is in place, a massive stage spanning over 60 yards goes at midfield, with large vertical video boards and speaker banks flanking it.

The entire stage setup overlooks the makeshift rodeo arena and faces nearly 15,000 seats on the Canvas Stadium west side for the PBR event.

Last in are the bucking chutes and arena walls, keeping the bulls and riders within the rodeo confines.

All told, it takes dozens of workers but less than three days to turn Canvas Stadium into a bull riding palace.

Coloradoan reporter Miles Blumhardt contributed to this story.

Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How PBR transforms Canvas Stadium from CSU field to bull riding palace

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