11/2/18 – DERBY FESTIVAL CALLING ALL SUPER HEROES FOR NEXT YEAR’S PARADE

November 2, 2018. Louisville, KY. – You may want to hang on to your Halloween costumes for next year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. Themed “Pegasus Power,” the parade on May 2, 2019, will celebrate super heroes from all walks of life. “Everyone has a hero. From real-life to the big screen, we plan to celebrate […]

10/29/18 – DERBY FESTIVAL TO ROLL OUT FIRST EVER RACE MEDAL SERIES IN 2019; RUNNERS WILL HELP CHOOSE THE DESIGNS

October 29, 2018. Louisville, KY. – After crossing the finish line, it’s all about the bling for runners. Starting in 2019, the Derby Festival is taking their race hardware to a new level by launching a four-year medal series for runners participating in the miniMarathon and Marathon Presented by Humana. The finisher medals from 2019 […]

10/2/18 – KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL WINS BIG AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

October 2, 2018, Louisville, KY. – Kentucky Derby Festival has a lot of reasons to celebrate today! Louisville’s annual civic celebration received 46 top honors at the International Festivals & Events Association’s (IFEA) Convention and Expo in San Diego, California. The Derby Festival won the Bronze Grand Pinnacle in the “Best Overall Festival Program” category, […]

8/27/18 – REGISTRATION FOR DERBY FESTIVAL MINI & MARATHON OPENS SEPT. 12 – BEST DEALS DURING THE FIRST 24 HOURS!

August 27, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Runners mark your calendars! Registration for the 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon presented by Humana opens on Wednesday, September 12, at 9:00 a.m. EST. The Festival is kicking off registration at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com with 24 hours of deals which include: the lowest prices of the season, discounted VIP […]

8/24/18 – DERBY FESTIVAL’S SEARCH FOR NEW ROYALTY BEGINS MONDAY!

August 24, 2018, Louisville, KY. – The search is on for a new court of Kentucky Derby Festival Royalty! The application process for the 2019 Royal Court opens online Monday, August 27, at KDF.org. Young women from Kentucky or Southern Indiana who are full-time college students (in at least 2nd year) are eligible. The deadline […]

7/2/18 – THUNDER OVER LOUISVILLE BROADCAST AROUND THE WORLD ON JULY 4TH

July 2, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s 2018 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. “We’re honored that we can […]

6/22/18 – DERBY FESTIVAL RUNNERS RAISE OVER $158,000 FOR CHARITIES

June 22, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Charity Module Program raised over $158,000 in 2018 for local charities. 31 different charitable organizations benefitted from the program by having individual runners and running teams participate in the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon Presented by Humana on April 28. The Charity […]

6/18/18 – LOUISVILLE NATIVE MARITA WILLIS TO CHAIR 2019 DERBY FESTIVAL – SET TO KICK-OFF ONE WEEK EARLIER

June 18, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Louisville native, Marita Willis, will chair the 2019 Kentucky Derby Festival. She was elected by the Festival’s Board of Directors at its annual meeting tonight. Willis is Major Gift Officer at the American Red Cross. She follows the leadership of Scott Watkins, who will continue serving as Immediate Past […]

6/6/18 – VINCENZO’S COOKS UP FUNDRAISER FOR DERBY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION

June 10th Event to Feature 5 Courses, Cooking Demonstrations, Wine Pairings June 6, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Vincenzo and Agostino Gabriele will host their seventh annual “Night at Vincenzo’s” fund-raiser for the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation on Sunday, June 10. The elegant event will be held at Vincenzo’s Italian Restaurant in Louisville. The benefit, which […]

6/5/18 – DERBY FESTIVAL YARD SALE SET FOR JUNE 8-9

June 5, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Looking for a bargain? The Kentucky Derby Festival will hold its 17th annual Yard Sale this Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, at the KDF office at 1001 South Third Street in Old Louisville. The sale will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and from […]

6/4/18 – PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA DELIVERS WITH INAUGURAL THUNDER FUNDER PROGRAM

June 4, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The inaugural Papa John’s Thunder Funder Program was a hit with Thunder Over Louisville and pizza fans. The 2018 program helped raise funds for the 2018 Thunder Over Louisville show by donating proceeds from the sale of every Thunder Fireworks pizza ordered online at PapaJohns.com. The promotion ran through […]

5/9/18 – TODAY IS LAST DAY TO REGISTER DERBY FESTIVAL PEGASUS PINS

Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Derby Festival fans who found a Gold Winner Pin in their 2018 Pegasus Pin Sponsorship envelope must register online at www.PegasusPins.com by 5 p.m. TODAY to be eligible for the drawing of the Gold Pin Grand Prize – Kentuckiana Honda Dealers, 2018 Honda CR-V. The winner will be […]

5/4/18 – THROWBACK THURSDAY PARADE A HIT ON BROADWAY

May 3, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Fans lined the street as the Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest and inaugural event – the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade – marched down Broadway tonight. Themed “#ThrowbackThursday,” this year’s parade featured over 100 units, including 10 floats, 13 equestrian units, 5 inflatables, 8 marching bands, 2 push floats and 42 […]

4/14/18 – Derby Festival Crowns 2018 Queen

April 14, 2018. Louisville, KY.  – With the traditional spin of a wheel Tara Dunaway of Leitchfield, KY, was named the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival Queen tonight at the 60th annual Fillies Derby Ball at The Galt House. Tara, 21-years-old, is a Junior at the University of Louisville where she is majoring in Business Marketing […]

4/12/18 – FOUR ROSES RELEASES THUNDER BOURBON BOTTLE

April 11, 2018. Louisville, KY. – In celebration of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies, Thunder Over Louisville, Four Roses has released a Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon Bottle featuring the iconic Thunder Over Louisville logo. Four Roses is also the Official Bourbon of Thunder Over Louisville. The limited edition bottle, priced at $44.99, is […]

4/10/18 – 2018 PEGASUS PARADE WILL BE A BLAST FROM THE PAST

April 10, 2018. Louisville, KY. – This year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade will be a blast from the past for Festival fans. Festival officials announced the Grand Marshals and set the line-up for the parade at a special event tonight at Mark’s Feed Store. In honor of this year’s parade theme “ThrowbackThursday,” former coaching rivals […]

4/6/2018- NEW DERBY FESTIVAL EVENT DEBUTS IN NEW ALBANY NEXT WEEK FamFest Promises Fun for the Whole Family

The Kentucky Derby Festival is heading to Southern Indiana for one of its newest events – Horseshoe Foundation FamFest. The Festival is partnering with the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County to bring the family friendly event to New Albany on Wednesday, April 11. Showcasing a special preview of the 2018 Festival and offering fun for […]

4/6/2018- DERBY FESTIVAL BOURBON TASTING EVENT RETURNS NEXT WEEK

The Kentucky Derby Festival’s bourbon tasting event – King Southern Bank BourbonVille – returns next week. Celebrating Kentucky’s home-grown spirit, the event is set for Thursday, April 12th at 6 p.m. at the Louisville Palace. “BourbonVille helps showcase two of Kentucky’s favorite things – bourbon and the Derby Festival celebration,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby […]

4/4/2018- KENTUCKY LOTTERY PICKS FESTIVAL FANATIC LOUISVILLE MAN WILL BE THIS YEAR’S THUNDERNATOR

Through a special second chance promotion sponsored by the Kentucky Lottery, Louisville resident Bob Paxton won the opportunity to be this year’s Festival Fanatic for the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival. As part of his big win, Paxton will serve as the Thundernator for the Derby Festival Opening Ceremonies: Thunder Over Louisville on Saturday, April 21. […]

4/2/2018- NEW EVENTS IN STORE FOR THE 2018 KENTUCKY DERBY FESTIVAL

We’re less than a month away from the kick off of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival – and there will be even more Festival events for fans to enjoy. New additions to the ever-growing schedule include a new steamboat cruise, flag football, a gala, kickball, zombies, a community-wide clean up, and a move to Southern […]