March 29, 2018. Louisville, KY. – It’s become a signature of the Derby Festival and a sign of spring in Louisville – the Festival’s official uniform jacket. In chameleon like form, the design of the jacket has changed through the years after first being introduced in 1973. Festival fans will see the newest rendition this […]

March 27, 2018. Louisville, KY.  30 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 […]

March 27, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The latest spring fashion trends walk the runway this week as Macy’s Presents the Kentucky Derby Festival Spring Fashion Show. Set for Thursday, March 29th, in the Showroom of Horseshoe Southern Indiana, this year’s show is themed Dream in Color. The event starts with cocktails and boutique shopping at […]

March 26, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Kentuckiana students ranging in age from 5 to 18 and their winning artwork from the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Student Art Contest Presented by The Fillies, Inc. will be honored on Tuesday, March 27. The awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. at the J. Graham Brown […]

March 26, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Jay Neubacher of Louisville is taking home the title of Derby Burger Champion, in the 7th Annual “Derby Burger Challenge” sponsored by Kentucky Beef Council and coordinated by the Kentucky Derby Festival. Neubacher’s recipe for his “D to the Double B” Burger (Derby Bourbon Burger) was selected as the […]

March 22, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Ordering Papa John’s pizza will help support this year’s Thunder Over Louisville, now just one month away. Papa John’s and Kentucky Derby Festival officials announced this morning that Papa John’s is the new title sponsor of the Thunder Funder program. The program helps raise funds for Thunder Over Louisville […]

March 22, 2018. Louisville, KY. –NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, host of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, will be the featured speaker at the 62nd Annual They’re Off! Luncheon on Friday, April 20. 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. “I […]

March 21, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Class Act Federal Credit Union and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation will host dozens of talented kids at the Academic Challenge this weekend. The quick-recall tournament is set for this Saturday, March 24, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The tournament is coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools is […]

March 21, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival Louisville Parks & Recreation StepFest returns this Saturday, March 24. The competition starts at 1pm, at Central High School (1130 W Chestnut Street in Louisville). Doors open for the event at Noon. The competition will feature elementary, middle and high school step teams, as well […]

March 20, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Calling all Derby Festival foodies! Festival Fans can help pick the 2018 ‘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 17, 2018. Louisville, KY. – 12-year-old Tara Singh of Louisville is a three-time champion after winning her third consecutive Derby Festival Spelling Bee. Singh also won the competition in 2016 and 2017. She correctly spelled “Rathskeller” – A restaurant or tavern, usually below street level, that serves beer. The competition was held in the […]

March 16, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The jousting has begun for the 2018 Great Steamboat Race set for Wednesday, May 2, on the Ohio River. Details of this year’s race were announced at a press conference this morning. Three boats will compete in 2018. The American Duchess, the newest paddle wheeler built by the American […]

March 15, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Students from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana will compete in the 25th annual Ford Motor Company Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 17th. The competition starts at 11 AM in the Bomhard Theater at the Kentucky Center (501 W. Main Street in Louisville). 64 students in grades […]

March 14, 2018, Louisville, KY. With spring around the corner, the Kentucky Derby Festival is preparing for a Festival favorite. Their first official event of 2018 – Festival Unveiled – is this Thursday, March 15, at the Mellwood Arts Center. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Citizens Union Bank and Four Roses are the […]

March 13, 2018. Louisville, KY. – If you’ve been waiting to register for the miniMarathon or Marathon, don’t put it off any longer! This is the last week you can save on registration for this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon Presented by Humana. Registration fees are set to increase on Friday, March 16. […]

March 8, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Get ready to ROBORUMBLE! Samtec has teamed up with the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation and Jefferson County Public Schools for the 2018 RoboRumble Regional Robotic Tournament. The event is this Saturday, March 10 at Marion C. Moore High School. The tournament challenges students and teams from Jefferson County schools […]

March 7, 2018. Louisville, KY. – You can be front row at your favorite Derby Festival concert. The Festival’s Waterfront Jam VIP Viewing Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 9 at 10 a.m. These exclusive tickets which offer front row viewing will be offered for 4 of the 7 national concerts. Beginning April 27 […]

March 1, 2018. Louisville, KY. – It’s time to start planning for spring and the 2018 Kentucky Derby Festival! Tickets for Festival events will be on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 2. To purchase tickets order online at KDF.org 24 hours/7 days a week. For questions, call the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) […]

February 26, 2018. Louisville, KY. – Runners participating in this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon Presented by Humana will receive a historic finisher’s medal to take home with them. Derby Festival Officials unveiled the 2018 race medal tonight at Drake’s in St. Matthews. It’s the first time the design of the medal has […]

February 26, 2018. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival is rescheduling its first event of 2018 due to flood waters. The event – Festival Unveiled Presented by Citizens Union Bank and Four Roses – will now be held on Thursday, March 15th at the Mellwood Arts Center. It was originally scheduled for this Thursday, […]