April 29, 2023. Louisville, KY. This is the schedule for SATURDAY’S Derby Festival activities.
Kentucky’s Largest Road Race:
GE APPLIANCES KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL miniMARATHON and MARATHON®. 7:00 AM. Kentucky’s largest day of road racing with both 13.1-mile and 26.2-mile routes. The miniMarathon marks a major milestone in 2023, as it celebrates its 50th run. Free for spectators. Sponsor: GE Appliances, a Haier Company. Official Race Medical Provider & Training Partner: Norton Sports Health. Official IT Partner: Deloitte. Contributing Sponsors: Baird, Churchill Downs, Kentucky Department of Tourism, Louisville Water Company, Powerade and TEN20 Craft Brewery. Official Finish Line Sponsor: Louisville City FC/Racing Louisville FC. Official Bourbon Retail Partner: Evergreen Liquors. Official Pace Team: Dick’s Sporting Goods. Official Refuel Partner: Prairie Farms. Official Hotel: The Galt House. Official Broadcast Partner: WLKY. Official Radio Partner: 99.7 DJX. DerbyFestivalMarathon.com.
Balloons Take Flight:
L&N FEDERAL CREDIT UNION KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL GREAT BALLOONFESTSM. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. Sponsor: L&N Federal Credit Union. Contributing Sponsors: Breeze Airways, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay. Media Sponsor: MIX 106.9.
April 29: 7 AM Launch. Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloon Race®. Bowman Field. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. Public entrance off Pee Wee Reese Road. Sponsor: L&N Federal Credit Union. Contributing Sponsors: Breeze Airways, Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay. Media Sponsor: MIX 106.9.
Duck Racing at the Waterfront:
KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL KEN-DUCKY DERBY. 2 – 5 PM. VIP Party 2 PM. Call to the post 4 PM. Duck Launch 5 PM. Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront. See the launch of 46,000 ducks into the Ohio River for a chance to race and compete for prizes. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. Proceeds benefit Harbor House of Louisville. Produced by Harbor House of Louisville. To adopt a duck, visit gotducks.org. For more information, go to KDF.org or call (502) 717-0072. (FOOD, DRINK AND PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED.)
Hot Wheels at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville:
KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL EXOTIC CARS AND COFFEE PRESENTED BY LIBERTY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION. 4 – 8 PM. Judging 4:30 – 6:30 PM. Awards 7 PM. Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. Waterfront Park, Great Lawn. Enjoy exotic cars, muscle cars, imports, German and American favorites from all over the region under the lights. Entry fee to display a car: $30. Register online at KDF.org. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin. For more information visit Exotic Cars and Coffee on Facebook, online at KDF.org/carshow. Produced by Exotic Cars and Coffee. Sponsor: Liberty Federal Credit Union.
Saturday Night Concert:
ELVIE SHANE WITH SPECIAL GUEST ABBY HAMILTON AT KROGER’S FEST-A-VILLE. 7:30 PM. Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront, Great Lawn. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. Sponsor: Kroger. Media Sponsor: 97.5 WAMZ. (FOOD, DRINK AND PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED.)
The party continues at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville and the Chow Wagon:
KROGER’S FEST-A-VILLE ON THE WATERFRONTSM. Open Daily 11 AM – 11 PM, except Sunday Noon – 10 PM. Waterfront Park. ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE featuring concerts with national talent, family fun, food, kids’ inflatable playground, midway rides. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. (FOOD, DRINK AND PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED). Sponsor: Kroger. Official Craft Beer: TEN20 Craft Brewery. Official Seltzer: High Noon. Music Stage Sponsor: Miller Lite. Pegasus PlayVille Sponsor: Norton Children’s.
KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL CHOW WAGON® Open Daily 11 AM – 11 PM, except Sunday noon – 10 PM. Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront. Outdoor food & live music venue. Happy Hour Weekdays 4 – 6 PM $3 beer at the Beer Garden. Admission is free with a 2023 Pegasus Pin®. (FOOD, DRINK AND PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED). Sponsor: Kroger. Official Craft Beer: TEN20 Craft Brewery. Official Seltzer: High Noon. Music Stage Sponsor: Miller Lite.
About Kentucky Derby Festival
2023 marks the 68th year for the Kentucky Derby Festival, a month-long celebration packed with 70+ events leading up to the first Saturday in May. As an independent community organization, it’s supported by 4,000 volunteers, more than 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people every spring and has a local economic impact of more than $127 million. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
