September 25, 2025. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival received global recognition this week for its excellence in the festivals and events industry during the International Festivals & Events Association’s (IFEA) 70th Anniversary Convention & Expo in Palm Springs, Calif. The Festival won 23 awards in various categories for promotions, multimedia, advertising campaigns and merchandise.
The IFEA is the premiere association that supports festival and event professionals worldwide. The Festival competes against other major festivals and events from around the world during the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Competition, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments and top-quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials by festivals and events around the world.
The Derby Festival was recognized with 23 prestigious IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards, including four Gold Awards:
- Best Pin or Button: Thunder Over Louisville Glow-in-the-Dark Wing Pin
- Best Invitation/Ticket: Fillies Derby Ball Presented by Courtesy Cadillac Bridgerton-themed invitation
- Best Radio Promotion: L&N Federal Credit Union Great BalloonFest
- Best Sponsor Gift: “Happy Derby” Gift Box featuring “Happy Derby” themed swag
In addition to Gold, the Derby Festival won 11 Silver Awards in the following categories: Best Single Digital/Social Ad, Best Digital/Social Ad Series, Best Promotional Brochure, Best Printed Materials (Single Page), Best Single Newspaper Display Ad, Best Ad Series, Best Commemorative Poster, Best Installation/Wrap, Best Hat, Best Festival/Event Merchandise, and Best Give-Away Item. The Festival was also honored with eight Bronze Awards: Best TV Promotion, Best Single Social Video, Best Multimedia Component, Best Event Website, Best Organization Website, Best Event/Organization E-Newsletter, Best Event Program/Guide, and Best Single Magazine Display Ad.
Several signature Derby Festival events, including Thunder Over Louisville, the Humana miniMarathon and Marathon, L&N Federal Credit Union Great BalloonFest, PNC Tour de Lou, Fillies Derby Ball Presented by Courtesy Cadillac, Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront and more were spotlighted as part of the winning awards.
The professional competition drew entries from some of the world’s top festivals and events. In addition to the Kentucky Derby Festival, other winning entries came from Bangkok, Thailand (Bangkok Art Biennale); Denver (Cherry Creek Arts Festival); Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea (The 70th Baekje Cultural Festival); Vancouver, BC, Canada (Canada Together); Memphis (Memphis In May International Festival, Inc); Pasadena, Calif. (Pasadena Tournament of Roses); Macon, Ga. (Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival); and many more.
