Central Arizona is home to the ‘World’s Oldest Rodeo.’ Here’s what to see and do there

PRESCOTT, AZ (AZFamily) — Beautiful Prescott, Arizona, is home to the “World’s Oldest Rodeo,” and on this Field Trip Friday, we’re getting a look at what to expect when it opens next week!

Scott Pasmore and Gibby Parra went to check out the Prescott Frontier Days event that attracts thousands every year. There’s a wild horse race, barrel racing and bull riding — and that’s just the beginning of what you can see!

Rodeo Royalty

No rodeo is complete without Rodeo Royalty, or experienced horsewomen who help keep the sport alive. Scott and Gibby introduce you to the rodeo queens of the “World’s Oldest Rodeo.”

Anna Butler was named the 2026 Prescott Frontier Days rodeo queen, Ava Brooks was named the 2027 rodeo queen, and Ellie Weeks was named the 2027 junior queen.

Granite Mountain Distillery

Granite Mountain Distillery opened in 2025 and welcomes customers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The distillery has a limited edition whiskey bottle made specially for the “World’s Oldest Rodeo.”

Master Distiller Chris Currie said the quality barrels that the distillery uses allow for the whiskey to be of such high quality.

There were only 1,888 rodeo edition bottles made. Each bottle has its own unique number to authenticity.

Red White and Brew

No one is more excited about the rodeo returning to town than all the local businesses in Prescott.

Summer is one of their busiest times of the year. It’s when many Arizona families head north from the Valley to escape the heat or to attend one of the many summer events in the historic town.

Scott and Gibby stopped by Red White and Brew to see what they’re cooking up this time of year.

“Frontier Days in Prescott is huge,” said Jennifer Collinge, general manager at Red White and Brew in Prescott. “It draws people in from all over the state, all over the country, come and visit us. We have a giant Fourth of July parade that is, I think, one of the biggest in the state. It’s just a week-long of festivities and fun; you don’t have to be involved in rodeo to enjoy it.”

If you want to go the extra mile, 20% of all sales made at Red White and Brew on Tuesday, June 30, will be donated to the Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters.

Whiskey River Tavern

Scott and Gibby spoke with former Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli about the exciting times ahead for the city.

“It’s going to be a great celebration,” Mengarelli said. “We’re already very patriotic at the rodeo, but America 250 is just up another level. It’s going to be an awesome celebration, and I hope everybody comes up to see us at the rodeo and the parade.”

He said Frontier Days is sold out, as has been the case over the past several years, and 17 foreign countries will be represented.

Check out our previous Field Trip Friday segments here.

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