How to Celebrate The Kentucky Derby Festival

Every sports fan knows about the "Fastest Two Minutes In Sports," the Kentucky Derby race held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. What you may not know is the Kentucky Derby horse race is just in the cap on nearly a month's worth of activities. Louisville calls the whole time period the Kentucky Derby Festival, and some of the events have nothing to do with horses.

Instructions

    • 1

      The Kentucky Derby Festival kicks off with the air show Thunder Over Louisville, usually held in mid April. It includes a fireworks display that has been hailed as the largest in the United States. The Derby Festival Basketball Classic at the KFC Yumi Center features top prep basketball players, and there are several "Running Wild" events attached to a marathon held the Saturday before the Derby. The events include an expo for running gear and a pasta dinner.

    • 2

      Learn to make a mint julep, the official alcoholic drink of the Kentucky Derby. The drink is a mix of bourbon, water, sugar and fresh mint. Over 100,000 of this drinks are sold at Churchill Downs throughout Derby weekend.

    • 3

      If you are a female, start preparing your Derby hat for race day. Besides the horses, the extravagant wide-brim Derby hats are one of the main attractions.

    • 4

      Check out the Great Steamboat Race, three days before the Kentucky Derby. The race is between two steamboats, the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen on the Ohio River. The Pegasus Parade, the official parade of the festival, normally takes place on the Thursday of Derby week. It's a celebrity-heavy event held in downtown Louisville.

    • 5

      The Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-old fillies is held the Friday before Derby day. Attendance at the Oaks is huge, but it does not compare to the Derby attendance. This is a chance to have some elbow room inside Churchill Downs and take in the race atmosphere from different angles.

    • 6

      If you can't get tickets to the grandstand on Derby day, buy your way into the infield. The infield crowd has a well-deserved reputation for putting on the ultimate Derby party. Be there by noon even though the Derby itself won't go to post until late afternoon. There is a full racing card preceding the Derby, but you will need the extra time to check out the infield party scene.