June 30, 2014. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s 2014 Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville – will be re-broadcast on the American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) to more than one million U.S. Armed Forces personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed overseas. The 120-minute program, which features the entire Thunder fireworks show and highlights of the Thunder Air Show, will be shown on July 4th to personnel stationed in approximately 175 countries and U.S. territories, as well as aboard more than 140 U.S. Navy ships. (It will air at 5:30 p.m. viewer time overseas on the AFN|spectrum channel.)
“We’re honored that we can share Thunder Over Louisville and help military personnel around the world celebrate this patriotic holiday,” said Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, who introduces the broadcast along with Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. “This year’s show for the 25th Thunder was one of the best ever and we hope the troops enjoy seeing it as much as we did.”
WAVE 3 TV exclusively aired the original Air Show and fireworks coverage on Saturday, April 12, of this year and has produced the edited version that will be shown on the American Forces Network in conjunction with Independence Day celebrations. WAVE 3 TV will also re-air the 30-minute fireworks portion of the show on Friday, July 4th at NOON.
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2015 Thunder Over Louisville show is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2015. The 2014 show, themed “Throwback Thunder,” was sponsored by Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, and Valero.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
