One of the nation's biggest civic events, the Derby Festival (rebranded from "Kentucky Derby Festival" in 2011) takes place for the two weeks prior to the first Saturday in May when the Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs. The biggest events include the following:
Thunder Over Louisville – Quite possibly the world's largest air show and fireworks display. Thunder draws as many as 800,000 people to the banks of the Ohio river for a day long event filled with food, music, skydivers and many types of aircraft (including military). The evening is topped off with the world's largest fireworks display set to music, usually lasting 30 minutes. Thunder is held on the Saturday two weeks before Derby (sometimes three weeks, depending on when the Easter holiday is observed so as not to interfere with it).
The Great Balloon Race – It is held the Saturday before Derby, unless bad weather takes place, then it will be the next day. If bad weather takes place that day, the race is canceled. The start of the Balloon Race moved from the Kentucky Exposition Center to Bowman Field in 2011. Regardless of the starting point, the race ends a few miles away in whatever direction the wind is blowing and carrying the balloons. On the Friday night before the race, the balloons are inflated for the Balloon Glow, a very pretty sight at night.
The Derby Festival Marathon and MiniMarathon – Both races are held on Saturday morning one week before the Derby, usually at the same time as the balloon race. As of 2011, both start and finish in downtown Louisville. The two races follow the same route to the west side, back to downtown, and through Old Louisville and the University of Louisville campus to Churchill Downs, where they take a trip around the track in the infield before splitting after exiting the racetrack. The MiniMarathon (in fact a half-marathon} returns directly to downtown. The Marathon heads toward Iroquois Park in the south end, takes a loop around that park, and returns to downtown after taking a detour into the Highlands.
The Great Steamboat Race – Held on Wednesday afternoon before Derby, the race usually pits the Belle of Louisville against the Delta Queen for a race up the Ohio River and back again, ending downtown at the Clark Memorial Bridge. In some years, a third boat has sometimes raced. The winner is awarded the Gilded Antlers for another year until the next race. Due to major flooding, the 2011 race was postponed until late June.
Pegasus Parade – Held for several blocks along Broadway (on the south end of downtown), the parade is the scene for floats, marching bands, celebrities, and many others groups. The parade is held on Thursday before Derby.
Kentucky Oaks – One of the most important races for 3-year-old fillies (females), the Oaks is always held the day before the Kentucky Derby. Like the Derby, it is the last race of a full day of racing, and features much of the same pageantry, but on a smaller scale.
Kentucky Derby – Often described as "the most exciting two minutes in sports," the first race of the Triple Crown is cause for a full day of celebrating, eating, and drinking. There is a full day of races on Derby Day, of which the Kentucky Derby is the last. Everything about the "Run for the Roses" (named for the blanket of roses draped over the winner) is steeped in tradition, from the food (Derby Pie) to the drinks (mint juleps, traditionally served in a pewter cup) to the clothes (designer hats for women, and two- and three-piece summer suits for men). TV stations will have several hours of pre-race coverage as well as the post-race interview with a teary-eyed jockey. Although you can certainly attend in person, either in the stadium seats or the cheaper and boozier infield, it's probably more common to find one of the countless Derby parties, hosted by a bar or maybe just at a friend's house.
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Louisville Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
