May 2, 2022. Louisville, KY. – Bed racing fans filled the stands at Broadbent Arena tonight for the return of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Great Bed Races. Nearly 30 teams pushed their decorated beds around a figure-eight course, competing for the fastest times. Full Throttle Adrenaline Park won the Champions Division with a time of 32.7 seconds. Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar won the Fun Division with a time of 33.7 seconds.
The theme of this year’s event, “Game On,” had teams decorating their beds in their favorite video and arcade games. The bed decorations included everything from Frogger, PacMan and Sonic the Hedgehog, to Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers, and more. Prizes went to the teams with the three fastest times, as well as for the “Best Decorated Bed,” “Most Entertaining,” and “Cone Eater” categories.
The results of the 33rd annual competition:
2022 Results – Champions Division:
1st – Full Throttle Adrenaline Park– 32.7
2nd – Zoeller Pump Company – 33.4
3rd – Miranda Construction A – 33.9
2022 Results – Fun Division
1st – Rubbies Southside Grill and Bar – 33.7
2nd – Bigelow Tea – 35.9
3rd – High Flyers – Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport – 37.5
- Best Decorated Bed: Zeon Chemical Team (Atari Games – PacMan, Frogger and Donkey Kong)
- Most Entertaining: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Team (Dressed up as “Miis” from Wii)
- Cone Eater Award: JenCare Newburg
First held in 1990 on the cobblestone streets of downtown Louisville in Theatre Square as “Bedlam in the Streets,” the event exploded in popularity. Now in its 33rd year, it continues to attract participants from small local businesses to five-man teams from large corporations.
Contributing Sponsors of the Great Bed Races are Drexel Metals, Kentucky Venues, Safelite AutoGlass, and Texas Roadhouse. Media Sponsor: 107.7 The Eagle.
About Kentucky Derby Festival
2022 marks the 67th year for the Kentucky Derby Festival. The Festival is an independent community organization 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.
