Thursday, April 11, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Thunder Officials ran their first sound check of this year’s fireworks soundtrack in a newly named Command Center this morning. The Kentucky Derby Festival announced that Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is sharing their name with the Command Center as Title Sponsor of the show’s communication hub.
“We are thrilled to be part of Thunder Over Louisville,” said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. “We applaud the hard work of the Kentucky Derby Festival staff for this iconic event, and understand how important the Command Center is to its operations. We look forward to celebrating the show’s success with the thousands of others, both on the waterfront and at home.”
This year’s theme – “The Wonderful World of Thunder” – will celebrate 30 years of the show with a soundtrack of songs from everyone’s favorite fairytales from Cinderella and Pocahontas to Aladdin and Snow White. The theme helps direct the songs featured in the fireworks soundtrack.
“The entire show is shaping up to be a magical 30th celebration,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “It’s a soundtrack for fans of all ages and will bring out the kid in all of us.”
Thunder fans don’t have to worry about hearing this year’s fireworks soundtrack loud and clear. Logan Lavelle Hunt is returning as the Official Sound Sponsor for Thunder Over Louisville. Their sponsorship helps offset the costs of the sound towers and the sound feed throughout the venue.
“We know how hard the Kentucky Derby Festival and Thunder Crew have worked to put together an amazing show and soundtrack for the Wonderful World of Thunder,” said Trent Hunt, Partner at Logan Lavelle Hunt. “We’re excited to be part of such an amazing event. We hope everyone enjoys the views, attractions and of course, all of the sounds.”
With multiple sound tower locations throughout the venue, fans can enjoy the narration of the air show, event announcements and the fireworks soundtrack. Towers are located at the Belvedere, Thunder Chow Wagon, North Great Lawn, South Great Lawn, and Big Four Bridge Lawn. Plus, on the Southern Indiana side, the Festival provides a sound feed to Rocky’s and Buckhead’s.
The music won’t stop when the fireworks end. As people are leaving after the show, the fun will continue with more excerpts playing over the sound system, from favorite animated classics.
Thunder’s fireworks show is choreographed to an original soundtrack each year. Over time, those soundtracks have included a broad range of music from Top Ten and country, to urban and contemporary, even rock’n’roll and Broadway show tunes. Anywhere from 25 to 60 different tracks or sound effects are used to build the musical score each year.
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of the more than seventy events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2019 Thunder Over Louisville is set for Saturday, April 13. Sponsors: Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, and UPS. Thunder Funder Sponsor: Papa John’s. Thunder on the Ground Sponsor: Ford Motor Company. Official Hotel: The Galt House. Official Sound Sponsor: Logan Lavelle Hunt. Command Center Sponsor: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Official Broadcast Partners: WAVE 3 News and 106.9 PLAY.
