DAY-LONG EVENT ON APRIL 13 AT NORTON HEALTHCARE SPORTS & LEARNING CENTER
April 5, 2024. Louisville, KY. – A community celebration of Derby-time traditions featuring local food, fare, family-friendly activities and more fun will be underway next weekend at the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Block Party Presented by Churchill Downs, Humana and Park Community Credit Union. The annual event is back for the third straight year and is set for Saturday, April 13 at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center. The day-long event is held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Block Party has become a new annual tradition on the Derby Festival’s line-up of more than 70 springtime events and shines the spotlight on talent and resources throughout Louisville, including minority-owned businesses in West Louisville. Guests can enjoy an all-day celebration featuring cuisine from local food trucks, live entertainment, a shopping marketplace, wellness activations, a vendor fair, programming and more.
In addition to partnerships with Churchill Downs, Humana and Park Community Credit Union, several community members and groups continue to play a role in the production of the Block Party event.
Block Party 2024 highlights include:
- Attendees can enjoy a variety of cuisine from more than 20 local food trucks and vendors. Complimentary water will be provided by the Louisville Water Company, courtesy of Humana.
- A Community Village featuring nearly 20 minority-owned local non-profit groups, all with missions to help meet the needs of residents of the West Louisville community.
- Live, outdoor entertainment will take place throughout the day on the music stage sponsored by Ford Motor Company. The line-up includes more than 35 acts, including musical performances by groups and solo artists, as well as visual artists, DJs, dancers, poets, theater acts, spoken word, comedy and more.
- MELANnaire Marketplace will feature more than 50 vendors and merchants highlighting Black entrepreneurs. This local shopping marketplace is a one-stop shop for spring fashions, Derby attire, hats, accessories, gourmet food and more.
- Various wellness activations will be set up at the event. Attendees can receive free health screenings courtesy of Humana. Norton Healthcare will be onsite offering complimentary health screenings. Heuser Hearing Institute will offer free hearing screenings and hearing protection. Foundation For A Healthy Kentucky will provide a Vaccination Station.
- Park Community Credit Union will offer financial literacy expertise and loan information, and have a 360 Photo Booth onsite.
- Children can enjoy outdoor activities, inflatables and face painting at the ZEON Kids Zone.
Admission to Block Party is FREE. (No outside food or drinks can be brought into the venue). Parking at the venue will also be FREE thanks to the partnership with Park Community Credit Union.
Block Party debuted in 2022 as part of the Derby Festival’s Derby Equity and Community Initiative (DECI). The DECI, which launched in spring 2021 and is a multi-year initiative, is a combined effort to incorporate equitable programming into the Derby season and the celebrations that surround it.
Churchill Downs, Humana and Park Community Credit Union are Presenting Sponsors of Block Party. Contributing Sponsors: Brown-Forman, Ford Motor Company, Heuser Hearing Institute, Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet – Everybody Counts and ZEON. Supporting Partners: BRAINFREEZE: Cones For A Cause, Erica Denise Entertainment, Louisville Parks & Recreation, MELANnaire Marketplace, The Hope Buss and The Hope Village.
