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Kentucky Derby Festival

The Kentucky Derby Festival features many exciting major events, such as Thunder Over Louisville, The Great Steamboat Race, the Pegasus Parade, The Great Balloon Race, and the Derby Marathon and Mimi Marathon.

The first major event of the Kentucky Derby Festival is Thunder Over Louisville, the largest fireworks display in the United States. This Kentucky Derby Festival exhibit is rated as one of the top 100 events in North America, and lasts throughout the day. For 30 minutes at the end of the night, there is a fireworks show with synchronized music that can be seen by Kentucky Derby Festival observers lined along the banks of the Ohio River in Louisville and in Clarksville and Jeffersonville, Indiana.

The Great Steamboat Race began in 1963, and is a contest between National Historic Landmarks Belle of Louisville and the New Orleans Delta Queen, racing up and down the Ohio River. This exciting competition draws Kentucky Derby Festival crowds in excess of 100,000.

Kentucky Derby Festival’s first ever event was the Pegasus Parade in 1956. The two hour parade brings out celebrities from across the country, such as Liberace, Carol Channing, Gladys Knight, and even hometown hero Muhammad Ali. The Kentucky Derby Festival’s Pegasus Parade is one of the largest parades in the United States.

In 1973, The Great Balloon Race, was introduced to the Kentucky Derby Festival to add a colorful, family event for the Kentucky Derby Festival’s schedule. Held at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, 30,000 Kentucky Derby Festival goers attend this event annually.

On your mark…Get set…Go! The Derby Marathon and Mini Marathon races happen on the last Saturday in April, one weekend before the Kentucky Derby, and add more exhilaration to the Kentucky Derby Festival events. The Derby Marathon race is 26.2 miles and 13.1 for the Mini Marathon. Recently, the average number of runners for this Kentucky Derby Festival event has been around 8,650 and 7,500 respectively.

Other Kentucky Derby Festival events include athletic events, concerts, fashion shows, wine tastings, luncheon parties, and private parties. Even on Kentucky Derby Eve, there are plenty of parties with local and international celebrities. In early spring, a Kentucky Derby Festival Queen and court of Kentucky Derby Festival Princesses are chosen from various Kentucky colleges. They attend Kentucky Derby Festival events to promote the Kentucky Derby Festival events and even appear on a float in the Pegasus Parade.

On Point is an independent Kentucky Derby Package and ticket broker that specializes in sports travel packages and tickets to high demand events worldwide.  The sports travel packages we offer can be catered to your individual desires and are sure to be an unforgettable experience.  Though we offer pre-planned Kentucky Derby Travel Packages, with the many options we have available, On Point can arrange customized Kentucky Derby Packages that no one else in the industry can provide.

To request a quote for a Kentucky Derby package or to discover more of what On Point can do for you and your private party, contact us today at 713-227-8888 to speak with one of our executive travel consultants.  You can also call our Travel Agent Hotline at 800-809-1277 or e-mail us at info@onpointevents.com.