Bull Fest

Bull Fest Logo with Title Sponsors Castleton Ranch and Mary and Jack Blake.

August 2027

Gunnison County Fairgrounds

Bull Riding | American Freestyle Bull Fighting | Live Music FT. John King | Country Dancing | Latigos Up Drill Team | Food Trucks & Bars | Barnyard Olympics for Kids Ages 4-14

Questions? Call (303) 250-8302

Photos by Mackenze Bode of RemeMBrance Media.

Thanks to our partners and sponsors!

Tough Enough to Wear Pink & Wrangler Bucking Cancer

Don’t put away your pink apparel and dancing boots just yet! Gunnison Tough continues to partner with the national Tough Enough to Wear Pink and Wrangler Bucking Cancer organizations as we expand our programs to meet the needs of our local community in the fight against ALL cancers.

2026 Title Sponsors

Castleton Ranch

Mary & Jack Blake

Events and Schedule

A little buckeroo in a cowboy hat and boots practices roping on a metal steer.

Kick-Off Party with Barnyard Olympics, Music, and Dance Instruction

Game Info

4:30 – 6:00 PM

The Latigos Up Drill Team wearing matching pink uniforms performs at a Gunnison Tough Enough to Wear Pink event on horseback with flags.

Latigos Up
Drill Team
Half-Time Show

Bull Rider takes a wild ride on the back of a large bull in a rodeo arena.

Main Event
Bull
Riding

6:30 – 8:30 PM

Several American Freestyle Bull Fighters competing for a high score while a large white bull bucks around the arena.

Main Event
American
Freestyle Bullfighting

What’s Freestyle Bullfighting?

6:30 – 8:30 PM

Hungry customers sit at picnic tables and eat terrific food from a food truck.

Food & Bar
Trucks

Available throughout the event.

Country Music singer, John King, leans against a black leather couch wearing a black tee shirt and brown leather jacket.

Hoedown with
Live Music & Dancing
Featuring John King

About John King

8:30 – 10:00 PM

John King laughing and leaning against a leather chair on one arm wearing a jean jacket, gray t-shirt, and jeans.

John King

Always Gonna Be You, the full-length debut from chart-topping country songwriter John King, is an autobiographical album whose songs tell a universal story. For King, that story began in the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia, where he worked construction jobs as a teenager and strummed his first songs around the campfire. He also began dating the woman who would later become his wife. Always Gonna Be You tells the story of that real-life romance, its songs brimming with details we’ve all experienced: the rush of a new relationship, the brink of a breakup, and the thrill of falling in love. 

King’s songs may be relatable, but his success is extraordinary. A Number 1 songwriter who penned Randy Houser’s chart-topping hit “We Went” and Hootie and The Blowfish’s “Rollin,” King launched his solo career with “Tonight Tonight” — a Top 40 hit whose anthemic chorus was heard everywhere from country radio to the weekly NFL recaps on CBS — and earned his stripes as a road warrior, playing 150 shows annually for the better part of a decade. With Always Gonna Be You, he blurs the boundaries between genres, creating a modern-day country album that’s diverse and driven. Call it a coming-of-age story, performed by a southern son whose twang is matched by his pop hooks.

ARTIST LINKS
Spotify Playlist
John King Website

Watch cowboys in action to see what Freestyle Bullfighting is about in this video by American Bull Fighting LLC. 

What is American Freestyle Bullfighting?

Eight teams competing to win and lots of exciting action!
In American freestyle bullfighting, bullfighters face a bull without a rider for a set time, are scored on technique, risk-taking, and how well they maneuver and engage with the bull.

Bullfighters are commonly seen in rodeo, protecting bull riders who have been thrown off a bull by distracting and drawing attention away from the rider, allowing the rider to safely exit the arena. Unlike traditional bullfighting, the bull is not harmed in American freestyle bullfighting.

Youth Barnyard Olympic Games

2026 Bull Fest Poster featuring a western theme; all details are in this section.

Bull Fest Barnyard Olympics Details

4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Before the Bull Fest Main Event

Gunnison County Fairgrounds

This is a super fun event for kids 4 to 14. There are 6 games for kids to participate in:

  • Stick Horse Races – Barrels & Poles
  • Hay Bale Obstacle
  • Water Bucket Carry
  • Bull Ring Toss
  • Ride Bouncy Bull
  • Tire Roll

A Bull Fest Ticket is required for entry.

Sign up by filling in the form below.
The form will open in July, 2027.

Thank You to Our Incredible Sponsors!

Your support makes all the difference to our community.  We give you our gratitude.

You can help. Become a Sponsor!

Title Sponsors

Mary & Jack Blake

Castleton Ranch

Presenting Bull Team Sponsors

Latigos Up
Drill Team Sponsor

Event
Vet

Rocky Mountain Veterinary Service, Darby Sullivan.

Stock
Contractor

American Bull Fighting.

Show Us You’re Tough Sponsors

In-Kind Sponsors

Special Thank You

Jackson Petito, DJ

West Elk Wrangler Swing Dancing

Latigos Up Drill Team

John King Band

2026 Cattlemen’s Days Royalty – Queen Abigail Isham and Jr. Miss Dixie Sponable

Gunnison County

The Fairgrounds Staff

Fairgrounds Manager, Tony Janssen

 

See you at Bull Fest!

Questions? Call (303) 250-8302