October 7, 2026. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival was recognized globally for excellence in the festivals and events industry this week during the International Festivals & Events Association’s (IFEA) Annual Convention & Expo in Tucson, Ariz. The Festival earned a total of 27 awards across multiple categories of marketing and communications, including video, radio, social media, print, merchandising and more.
The honors were awarded during the 2026 IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards, where the Festival competed against major events from around the world. As the premier association for event professionals worldwide, the IFEA’s annual competition highlights creativity, innovation and excellence throughout the festivals and events industry.
The Derby Festival was recognized with 27 prestigious IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards, including 10 Gold Awards:
- Best Video Promotion (Thunder Over Louisville Returns Theme Announcement)
- Best Radio Promotion (2026 Pegasus Pin Radio Ad Spot)
- Best Single Social Video (Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront)
- Best Instagram Site (Kentucky Derby Festival Official Instagram Page)
- Best Event/Organization E-Newsletter (Kentucky Derby Festival Monthly E-Newsletter)
- Best Single Newspaper Display Ad (2026 Kentucky Derby Festival Highlight Schedule in Spanish)
- Best Invitation/Ticket (2026 Fillies Derby Ball Invitation)
- Best Pin or Button (2026 Thunder Over Louisville “Thunder in the U.S.A.” Event Pin)
- Best Sponsor Gift (2026 Thunder Over Louisville VIP Gift Box featuring sponsor and Festival swag)
- Best Sponsor Partner (CLARK Material Handling Company, who provided forklifts to assist with Thunder Over Louisville)
In addition to Gold, the Derby Festival won 11 Silver Awards in the following categories: Best Single Social Video, Best Social Video Series, Best Multimedia Component, Best Event Website, Best Newspaper Insert/Supplement, Best Printed Materials (Single Page), Best Ad Series, Best Outdoor Billboard/Signage, Best T-Shirt Design, Best Hat, and Best Single Magazine Display Ad. The Festival was also honored with six Bronze Awards: Best Social Video Series, Best Promotional Brochure, Best Festival/Event Merchandise, Best Sponsor Activation, Best Facebook Site, and Best Organization Website.
Several signature Derby Festival events, including Thunder Over Louisville, the Humana miniMarathon and Marathon, Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, the Filles Derby Ball Presented by Courtesy Cadillac 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 Denver (Cherry Creek Arts Festival); Pasadena, Calif. (Pasadena Tournament of Roses); Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea (Boryeong Mud Festival); Canada Place Corp. in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada Together); Memphis (Memphis In May International Festival, Inc); Macon, Ga. (Macon, Georgia’s International Cherry Blossom Festival); and many more.
