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Party All Year Long: Kentucky's Top Festivals

ky festivals

Kentucky is a great place to party. Across the state and throughout the year, you can gather with other members of the community to toast to several of your favorite things like the Kentucky Derby, The Beatles, “The Big Lebowski,” fine arts, and blues music. These best festivals in Kentucky will keep you busy all year long with a full and fun calendar of must-attend events.

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Kentucky Derby Festival, Louisville, KY

The Kentucky Derby Festival is a two-week series of events leading up to the annual running of the Kentucky Derby. The festival kicks off with Thunder Over Louisville—a 30-minute fireworks show that is one of the largest in North America. Other popular festival events include the Great Steamboat Race, a race down the Ohio River between the Belle of Louisville and the Belle of Cincinnati, the Pegasus Parade, and the marathon and minimarathon races that draw around 15,000 runners from around the country.

The St. James Court Art Show, Old Louisville, KY

The St. James Court Art Show is a juried fine arts and crafts show held annually in Old Louisville’s most spectacular Victorian homes district. The event draws more than 700 artists who display and sell their works in booths around Old Louisville. More than half a million visitors from across the country make their way to Louisville each year to enjoy the displays found at this annual festival.

International Bar-B-Q Festival, Owensboro, KY

Every year, the International Bar-B-Q Festival in Owensboro marks the start of Kentucky’s summer. The weekend event occurs the second weekend in May—just after the Kentucky Derby—and is a competition for the best barbecue that benefits local charities. Festival-goers enjoy samples of barbecued pork, chicken, and mutton prepared by chefs and local enthusiasts alike, and side events like the keg toss and pie-eating contest keep you entertained between servings.

WorldFest, Louisville, KY

WorldFest is an annual event held on the Belvedere in Louisville that celebrates the city’s growing international population. The free event is held over Labor Day weekend and features amazing international food, cultural presentations, shopping booths, and the Parade of Cultures where individuals from different countries put their traditions on display for everyone’s enjoyment.

Highland Renaissance Fair, Eminence, KY

The Highland Renaissance Fair is Kentucky’s only annual renaissance festival. It’s held on a former farmland in Eminence, Kentucky, and is a recreation of life in 14th century Scotland. The event features actors that help to recreate the feel of life in the renaissance era, jousting competitions, booths with arts, crafts, clothing, and accessories, and even an event-specific currency called the coin of the realm—a large wooden coin used to pay for all fair purchases.

Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville, KY

Held in Danville the Great American Brass Band Festival is an early-summer celebration of brass band music that brings both local and famous brass bands and musicians together. While the draw of this festival is certainly the live music, the free event also features a hot air balloon race, a community picnic, and a food court called Food Village where visitors can sample offerings from local restaurants.

Garvin Gate Blues Festival, Old Louisville, KY

Celebrating arts and the blues are the thing to do at the annual Garvin Gate Blues Festival in Old Louisville’s Victorian district. The two-day festival held in October brings artists and blues musicians from around the region to Louisville so that visitors can enjoy live entertainment as well as eating, drinking, and shopping from vendors at more than 50 booths. 

Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown, KY

Each year, bourbon lovers congregate in Bardstown for the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival—a celebration of the state’s signature liquor. The festival features a series of events—some free and some paid. Distillery tours, bourbon tastings, live music, and food, drink, and shopping booths are just some of the ways festival-goers can entertain themselves at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Abbey Road on the River, Louisville, KY

While the annual Abbey Road on the River is moving across the river from Louisville to Jeffersonville, Indiana, Kentucky can still claim the festival as its own because 1) it started in Louisville and 2) Jeffersonville is close enough to Louisville to be basically the same thing. This festival is a celebration of The Beatles that brings cover bands from across the country to the Ohio River waterside for a Memorial Day weekend celebration of one of the world’s most beloved bands.

Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, Lexington, KY

Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event is an annual equestrian competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The event features dressage, cross-country, and show jumping competitions and draws competitors from all over the world. Though the name of the event implies that it occurs over three days, it is actually a four-day event, and it is held annually on the last weekend of April—the weekend before the Kentucky Derby.

Kentucky State Fair, Louisville, KY

The Kentucky State Fair is held annually at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition in Louisville. It’s a bizarre event that brings together all the disparate interests of a diverse state. Farmers from the state’s more rural areas bring their livestock to be judged, artists submit artworks from all mediums to the fair’s art contest, families enjoy rides and games on the midway, and adults rock out to local cover bands in the fair’s beer tents.

Key Insights at a Glance

  • Kentucky Derby Festival: Two-week celebration leading up to the Kentucky Derby, featuring fireworks, parades, races, and steamboat competitions.
  • St. James Court Art Show: Juried fine arts and crafts festival attracting over 700 artists and half a million visitors annually.
  • International Bar-B-Q Festival: May event featuring a barbecue competition, food samples, and entertaining contests.
  • WorldFest: Labor Day weekend celebration of international cultures with food, performances, and a Parade of Cultures.
  • Highland Renaissance Fair: A 14th-century Scotland-themed festival with jousting, crafts, performances, and a unique festival currency.
  • Great American Brass Band Festival: Summer featuring brass bands, a hot air balloon race, a community picnic, and local food vendors.
  • Garvin Gate Blues Festival: October blues music festival with live performances, food, and over 50 vendor booths.
  • Kentucky Bourbon Festival: Celebration of Kentucky's famous bourbon industry with distillery tours, tastings, and live entertainment.
  • Abbey Road on the River: Memorial Day weekend festival dedicated to The Beatles, featuring tribute bands and live music.
  • Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event: Prestigious equestrian competition featuring dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
  • Kentucky State Fair: Annual fair with livestock shows, art exhibits, carnival rides, food, and live music performances.
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