July 2, 2019. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s 2019 Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville – will be re-broadcast on the American Forces Network to more than a half million U.S. Armed Forces personnel and Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed overseas on Independence Day.
“Sharing Thunder Over Louisville is just a small way we can pay tribute to those who are serving our country on this patriotic holiday,” said Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, who introduces the broadcast along with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “This year’s show for Thunder’s 30th Birthday was one of the best yet, and we hope the troops enjoy seeing it as much as we did.”
The 90-minute special, which features highlights of the Thunder Air Show and fireworks, will be shown on July 4th to viewers on U.S. military installations, at U.S. embassies and U.S. consulates located in approximately 168 countries and territories, as well as aboard more than 140 U.S. Navy ships at sea outside of U.S. territorial waters. (It will air July 4th starting at 8 p.m. viewer time overseas on the AFN|prime channel.)
WAVE 3 News exclusively aired the original air show and fireworks coverage on Saturday, April 13, of this year and has produced the edited version that will be shown on the American Forces Network.
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 show, themed “The Wonderful World of Thunder” was sponsored by: Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, and UPS. Thunder Funder Sponsor: Papa John’s. Thunder on the Ground Sponsor: Ford Motor Company. Official Sound Sponsor: Logan Lavelle Hunt. Official Hotel: The Galt House. Command Center Sponsor: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. Official Broadcast Partners: WAVE 3 News and 106.9 PLAY.
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.
