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Outdoor rodeo returning to MontanaFair next summer

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BILLINGS - Outdoor rodeo is returning next summer to MontanaFair at MetraPark in Billings.

Organizers announced Tuesday that a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo will be the first event at MetraPark's new outdoor arena from Aug. 14-16, 2025.

The event will be called Rodeo Billings and is sponsored by MontanaFair and the NILE, which has hosted a long-running Billings rodeo in the fall for decades.

The outdoor grandstands at MetraPark were torn down in 2020, closing down the outdoor venue. Organizers said Rodeo Billings will be a key event on the PRCA circuit during a prime stretch for PRCA rodeo athletes competing for dollars for the National Finals Rodeo.

“We are excited to be able to promote and produce the MontanaFair rodeo and bring back a huge fan favorite, PRCA rodeo outdoors. There has been a big void in Billings since the last outdoor rodeo took place at the MontanaFair almost a decade ago. NILE is very pleased to bring it back for the rodeo fans,” NILE president Bobby Miller said in a statement.

Related: MetraPark could host outdoor rodeo in 2025

The NILE is now under the leadership of longtime sports marketing veteran David Allen, who is moving the PRCA rodeo from the October NILE event to the August time frame to begin a rebranding of the NILE rodeo events.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to bring the rodeo knowledge of Mr. Allen, and NILE, combined with the experience of our Metra staff to showcase the new outdoor arena for a spectacular Rodeo event. The County is proud to have a decades long partnership with the NILE. This new endeavor allows an opportunity to bring the best Rodeo entertainment to the community during the MontanaFair. To have this come to fruition for the 110th anniversary of MontanaFair only makes it that much better,” Yellowstone County Commissioner John Ostlund said in a statement.

The NILE is planning a new event in October to replace its traditional rodeo. Details are being ironed out, but it will feature "rodeo-style entertainment," according to organizers.