KSR's Unofficial Guide to the 2022 Kentucky Derby Festival

On3 imageby:Nick Roush04/18/22

RoushKSR

After two years away, the Kentucky Derby Festival is back in a big way. This spring the biggest events in the Derby City return. Some are in their traditional time and place, while others feature a wrinkle or two. Before you attend, do yourself and buy a Pegasus Pin in advance at your local Kroger or Thornton’s. You’ll save a buck on admission to most events. Before wading into the complete list of KDF events, let KSR provide a preview of what’s to come before the Call to the Post on the first Saturday in May.

April 23 — Thunder Over Louisville

There was a Thunder-less Louisville, then a year of Thunder All Over Louisville. This year the enormous fireworks display returns to its rightful place on the Louisville Waterfront and early forecasts are calling for a beautiful 80-degree day. If you can invest the right setup, there will be ideal conditions for a marvelous return.

April 24 — FORE!

Right now through April 24 you can enter into the KDF $1 million Hole-in-One contest. It only costs $1 to get a shot at the grand prize of $1 million at the Seneca Golf Course driving range. Get it close to the pin to advance to the semi-finals. If you’re a good enough shot to get to the finals, a hole-in-one will net you $1 million. Closest to the pin is still worth $5,000. Wait to purchase your Pegasus Pin at the event and you’ll get 10 swings at the driving range.

April 28 — Chow Wagon Opens for Business

Call me old school, but I refuse to call it the “Fest-a-Ville.” The beer garden at Waterfront Park has a variety of food vendors, along with games and rides for the kids. It’s open most days from 11 am-11 pm and it only requires a Pegasus Pin for entry. This year the Chow Wagon will host a variety of free concerts, including a man that knows how to get down, Rob Base.

Free Concert Lineup

  • 4/28: Alex Miller
  • 4/29: The Homies & Kyle Hume
  • 4/30: JD Shelburne at 8 pm, Gospelfest at 7 pm
  • 5/1: Joslyn & The Sweet Compression
  • 5/3: Rob Base and DJ Quinnette
  • 5/4: Tony and the Tan Lines (If you haven’t seen them before, I highly reccomend)
  • 5/5: The Crashers
  • 5/6: Parker McCollum, with Blanco Brown

April 29 — OVW’s Run for the Ropes

Not everyone was introduced to Ohio Valley Wrestling through Matt Jones. I got an unexpected taste for the high octane action while on a Chow Wagon date in 2015. That date is now the mother of my child. The moral of the story: You will find everlasting love by watching OVW at the Chow Wagon.

April 29 — The Great Balloon Glow

This is arguably the best event to take your kid throughout the entire Kentucky Derby Festival, however, there’s about a 10% chance it will actually take place. Hot air balloons need calm weather to be safely used. The event was canceled or postponed every other year when it was held at the Fair and Expo Center. This year they’re moving it to the Chow Wagon, right in the middle of windy Waterfront Park. What could go wrong?

I hope my prediction is incorrect. Seeing the enormous balloons light up at night would blow my toddler away, but I do not trust Mother Nature to give us the green light for the Balloon Glow.

April 30 — The miniMarathon

If the weather is right, you can either chase balloons or cheer on Louisville’s aspiring endurance athletes on the Saturday morning before the Derby. An annual tradition, in our younger years the miniMarathon pregaming would start around 3 am (or just last all night) to prepare for thousands of High Fives through Old Louisville. You do not have to enjoy early morning libations to provide some much appreciated enthusiasm.

Once the race concludes, not far from the finish line 46,000 rubber ducks will be dumped into the Ohio River for the Ken-Ducky Derby, a race that can earn you a new truck and helps individuals with disabilities at Harbor House of Louisville. The duck drop is at 2 pm.

May 1 — The Pegasus Parade Returns

The traditional parade on Broadway is back, but at a new day and time. Instead of Wednesday, the Pegasus Parade will kickoff Derby Week festivities at 3 pm. Stretching 17 blocks along Broadway, it’s expected to last two hours. The oldest event in the Kentucky Derby Festival, the first Pegasus Parade was held in 1956 on a budget of only $640.

May 5 — Live Music Returns to the Infield

Once a Thurby staple, live Infield concerts are back in a BIG way at Churchill Downs. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats will be tearing up the stage in-between races beneath the Twin Spires. This author cannot express in words how excited I am for this wonderful occasion. General admission tickets are only $29, cheaper than anywhere else you’ll see this crew, and you get a day of racing to go with it. If you see me at this event, I apologize in advance. This will kickoff a three-day weekend that descends into madness.

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2024-03-28