Derby Day
Every Day

Countdown to the 151st Kentucky Derby Begins at the Kentucky Derby Museum!

As we count down for the Roses, the Kentucky Derby Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary in style!

Get ready for a season of unforgettable events, including the highly anticipated Featured Milliner Program, showcasing exclusive Derby fashion from top U.S. and European designers like Mary Julia Kaiser, Ilana Kogan, and more. The Derby Museum Hat Show on March 23 will feature up to ten unique designs from each milliner, available for purchase at the Museum Store.

Plus, experience the magic of Derby Season with exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, from the Barn & Backside Tour to the Derby Legends Experience. With VIP options, keepsake booklets, and commemorative gift bags, this is the ultimate way to celebrate 40 years of Derby tradition. Get your tickets now and be part of the excitement!

Thunder over Louisville

To some, it’s the official kick-off to the Kentucky Derby Festival. To others, it’s the unofficial beginning of spring. But to all, it’s simply one of the largest annual fireworks shows in North America and the setting for some of the most memorable moments you’ll ever share.

Now celebrating its 36th year, Thunder Over Louisville kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival with a mind-blowing pyrotechnics display that’s the largest in North America! Drawing an estimated half a million attendees, this explosive event transforms Louisville and Southern Indiana into a dazzling wonderland of lights, music, and thrills. Known for its breathtaking artistry from Zambelli Fireworks, Thunder packs as much firepower as possible into 28 minutes, delivering a heart-stopping series of “finales” set to an unforgettable soundtrack. It’s a show that you have to feel to believe, vibrating through your chest and shaking the ground beneath you. Don’t miss the magic—be there to experience the thrill of Thunder!

History of Churchill Downs

Founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., the grandson of the famous explorer William Clark, Churchill Downs was originally named the Louisville Jockey Club when it was purchased in the 1870s. As the popularity of the sport grew and the track began to expand, a new grandstand debuted in 1895 which included the iconic twin spires that still stand today and were named a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

This historic racetrack will be wrapping up the most extensive renovation ever in its 150-year history ahead of the 2024 Kentucky Derby, seeing a complete re-design of the paddock area that will enhance the visitor experience for nearly every guest who enters the track.

Dress to Impress

With nearly 175,000 spectators attending the Kentucky Derby annually, you could say it's one of the world’s best-attended fashion shows. Modelled after the Epsom Derby in the UK, Kentucky Derby fashion blends a hint of English sophistication with a heavy Southern influence with an array of brightly coloured attire appropriate for the Springtime event. For men, seersucker suits and bowties are commonplace among a variety of caps and fancy footwear. For women, it’s all about the hat.

Go big with an oversized hat complete with flowers or a bow, or for the more modern and conservative, you wouldn’t be out of place with a sleek fascinator. Don’t forget to wear pink the day before the Kentucky Derby, as Phillies race for the title of Kentucky Oaks champion.