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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]