March 21, 2019. Louisville, KY. – One of running’s most iconic figures, Kathrine Switzer will participate in her first ever Derby Festival race. Switzer was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967, and recently ran it again 50 years later in 2017. (The run was only 24 minutes slower than she […]

March 19, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Calling all Derby Festival foodies! Festival Fans can help pick the 2019 ‘Derby Burger’ Champion. Dozens of original recipes were submitted for the competition sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council. Those recipes featuring 100% beef have been narrowed to the top 8 recipes. Voting is open online to help […]

March 19, 2019. Louisville, KY. Kentuckiana students from grades K-12 were honored tonight at J Graham Brown School for their artistic achievement in the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Student Art Contest Presented by The Fillies, Inc. A panel of local artists selected the winners. Of the hundreds of entries, some of the most popular themes […]

March 18, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Calling all Derby Festival foodies! Festival Fans can help pick the 2019 ‘Derby Burger’ Champion. Dozens of original recipes were submitted for the competition sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council. Those recipes featuring 100% beef have been narrowed to the top 8 recipes. Voting is open online to help […]

March 18, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Kentuckiana students ranging in age from 5 to 18 and their winning artwork from the 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Student Art Contest Presented by The Fillies, Inc. will be honored on Tuesday, March 19. The awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. at the J. Graham Brown […]

Louisville, KY— March 18, 2019 — Kosair Charities will partner with the Kentucky Derby Festival through special opportunities aimed at helping kids in our community take flight. Collaborations include educational components as well as exclusive experiences for Kosair Kids at the Humana miniMarathon/Marathon, the BB&T Great Balloon Fest, and Celebrity Day at the Downs. “This […]

March 16, 2019. Louisville, KY. – 14-year-old Ophelia Lorenz of Louisville won her first Ford Motor Company Derby Festival Spelling Bee this afternoon. Lorenz correctly spelled “Chihuahua” – A dog of very small breed developed in Mexico, probably from an indigenous breed, having erect pointed ears and a soft ,usually short-haired dog. The competition was […]

March 14, 2019. Louisville, KY. – ESPN’s Hannah Storm, current anchor for SportsCenter, will be the featured speaker at the 63rd Annual They’re Off! Luncheon on Friday, April 12. The luncheon, first held in 1957, serves as the time-honored kick-off to each year’s Festival. It’s the second-oldest event on the Festival schedule. An award-winning journalist, […]

March 14, 2019. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s Waterfront Jam returns Thursday, April 25, at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. The concert series includes more than two dozen local and regional bands and 7 national concerts on two stages. Admission to all shows is FREE with a 2019 Pegasus Pin ($6 at retail locations and $7 […]

March 11, 2019, Louisville, KY. A Kentucky Derby Festival favorite returns this week to help usher in spring. Festival Unveiled is Thursday, March 14, at the Mellwood Arts Center. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Citizens Union Bank and Four Roses are the Presenting Sponsors of this pre-Festival party. “Festival Unveiled” will showcase several […]

March 8, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Runners participating in this year’s Humana Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon will take home a finisher’s medal they helped design. Derby Festival Officials unveiled the 2019 race medal this morning at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. The medal features the museum and “The Big Bat” – the world’s […]

March 1, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Looking for a sign that spring is just around the corner? Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Pins will be available at over 1,000 locations starting Monday, March 4! The pins can be found at grocery stores, gas stations, banks and other retail outlets around Kentuckiana – from Elizabethtown to Louisville […]

February 28, 2019. Louisville, KY. – Get ready to ROBORUMBLE! The 2019 Samtec RoboRumble Regional Robotic Tournament returns this Saturday, March 2, at Marion C. Moore High School. The tournament hosted by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation and coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools challenges students and teams to design, build and compete with robots. […]

February 27, 2019. Louisville, KY. – It’s time to start planning for spring and the 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival! Tickets for Festival events will be on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 1. To purchase tickets order online at KDF.org 24 hours/7 days a week. For questions, call the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) […]

Presented by Brown-Forman, event raises funds that provide quarter million meals to Kentuckiana’s struggling families LOUISVILLE, Ky. (February 26, 2019) — Brown-Forman Corporation joins with Louisville’s renowned and vibrant foodie community to present Taste of Derby Festival benefiting Dare to Care Food Bank on April 9, 2019. This premier tasting event, featuring an eclectic lineup […]

February 21, 2019. Louisville, KY – Mike Berry, the longest serving President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, will retire at the end of 2019. Berry started his career with the Festival in 1986 as an Event Coordinator and worked his way up to overseeing the entire Festival. He’s been at the helm now […]

Thursday, February 21, 2019. Louisville, KY. – The first shipment of 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Pins is here! The pins arrived at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Main Street this morning. It’s the first place you can purchase a 2019 Pegasus Pin beginning today. Heaven Hill Distillery has also produced a special Evan […]

February 15, 2019. Louisville, KY – The Kentucky Derby Festival is sharing another sign of spring this morning, as they release the design for the 47th edition of their Pegasus Pin. The 2019 design is inspired by the Festival’s official uniform jacket, just released last spring. The plastic pin is a miniature version of the […]

February 11, 2019. Louisville, KY. – A sign of spring this morning as the Kentucky Derby Festival’s 2019 poster rolled off the presses at Derby City Litho. This year’s poster was designed by Louisville artist Chimel Ford. His artwork, “Parade,” features a gray scale Pegasus soaring on a vibrantly colored background. A marching band silhouette […]

February 8, 2019. Louisville, KY. – To celebrate National Pizza Day on Saturday, February 9, Papa John’s is kicking off the 2019 Papa John’s Thunder Funder Program. Anyone who orders Papa John’s Pizza can be a Thunder Funder and help support this year’s Thunder Over Louisville, now just 64 days away. Beginning February 9th through […]