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The Kentucky Derby Festival is looking for participants for next year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. 2018 marks the 63rd annual parade, which will march down Broadway on Thursday, May 3. The application process for groups interested in participating in the parade opens online today.
Click here to see photos from the 2017 Pegasus Parade.
The Festival is looking for participants in the following categories: Equestrians, Specialty Unit, Marching Band, Inflatable and Float. Parade Participation Guidelines and Applications can be downloaded at KDF.org/PegasusParade. The application deadline is January 31, 2018. For more information about participating in the parade, contact Event Manager Zach Fisher at (502) 572-3853 or zfisher@kdf.org.
The Pegasus Parade – the Derby Festival’s oldest founding event – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Kentucky Derby Festival in the spring and provides an estimated economic impact of more than $22 million. Each year, the annual spectacle steps off at 5 p.m. and marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
Republic Bank is the Title Sponsor of the parade with Contributing Sponsor, KentuckyOne Health.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The Southwest Festival, a one-day event, starts tomorrow at Sun Valley Community Center in Valley Station. Following tradition, the Valley’s Woman’s Club will host a Bean Soup Dinner tonight, starting at 4:30 PM. All proceeds from the dinner will go to support the club.
Starting at 8:00 AM on Saturday, Plumb Lodge #862 will host their annual pancake breakfast. All proceeds from the breakfast go to fun their scholarship fund. This year the event will be headlined by the Louisville Crashers. Other attractions include Toddler Town, Kids’ City, Teen City, chance to meet many local businesses, and the annual car and motorcycle show. Food and drinks will be available for purchase on site.
While the event itself is free, parking will be $5 per vehicle, and includes a chance to win one of the many door prizes. Festival organizers request that attendees leave their pets at home, only service animals will be allowed into the festival area.
Meijer presents “The World’s Largest Halloween Party!”
October 5–8, 12–15, 19–22, & 26–29, 2017
It’s that time of year when the Louisville Zoo transforms into a storybook land and a photo opportunity is waiting around every corner during the Zoo’s “World’s Largest Halloween Party!” presented by Meijer. This year the Zoo celebrates its 36th year of the popular party on October 5–8, 12–15, 19–22, & 26–29, 2017
Tickets are now on sale.
Children can dress up in their wildest costumes and set off on a magical journey through the Zoo.
The Party features costumed characters for guests to meet and greet in fanciful, larger-than-life storybook scenes. Trick-or-treating is offered for kids 11 and under. In an effort to be “green,” the Zoo requests that children bring their own trick-or-treat bag to the event. The Zoo will not provide bags, but reusable cloth bags will be available for purchase for $2 in the Zoo’s gift shop whiles supplies last.
Louisville pumpkin carving artist Donna O’Bryan will have her beautifully carved artificial pumpkins on display nightly in the Glacier Run Black Cat Crossing area with cutout themes ranging from iconic movie characters to famous stars.
Fun themed areas include: Continue reading
The sight of colorful kites flying through the air will punctuate a wonderful family event hosted at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, September 16.
The first-ever “Family Kite Festival” will take place on the grounds of the historic home and farm, located in southwest Louisville at 7410 Moorman Road. Admission to the Kite Festival is free, although concessions will be offered for sale.
Activities include performances from the Chicago Kite Team and Aloft Stationary Kites; stilt walkers; bubble making, kite making and balsa wood airplane making stations; and games and complimentary tours (donations accepted) of the Farnsley-Moremen House. In addition, the LMPD display helicopter will also be at the festival for kids to enjoy.
“This promises to be a unique event for Louisville and we hope it becomes a popular tradition for years to come,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Metro Parks and Recreation. “It should be a lot of fun for the entire family, whether you’re an experienced kite maker or just interested in trying out something new.”
“I’m excited to have this first-ever kite festival take place at the lovely Riverside, the Farnsley-Moreman Landing. This will be a great event for young and old alike. Please plan on attending this free event on September 16,” said Councilwoman Cindi Fowler, who represents District 14 in southwest Louisville.
Today marks the beginning of the end for the 2017 Kentucky State Fair as the last two days of the event kick off. With highs in the low 80s and clear skies all weekend, fair goers should be able to comfortably enjoy the multitude of events scheduled all weekend.
While many of the small livestock animals are gone, visitors will still be able to see beef cattle, sheep, and swine. Visitors today can take in the last day of the 2017 World Championship Horse Show in Freedom Hall (tickets required) and, on Sunday, spectators will be able to enjoy the horse and mule pull in Broadbent Arena. If exotic animals are more your thing, stop by the area near the 4-H exhibits to see Australian fauna up close.
Fans of live entertainment will be able to see a number of local dance teams, musical acts, and more performing on three stages throughout the exhibit hall area. Performances will feature everything from street dancing to clogging, jugglers, magicians, a capella, and a big friendly robot this weekend. Just outside the exhibit hall, fair goers will see that the midway – dubbed Thrillville – has been moved closer to the rest of the fair action. There are two main performance areas located in Thrill Ville that will feature the Marvelous Mutts (frisbee and water diving dogs) and the famous acrobatic family, Flying Wallendas. Near Thrillville, there are four live music tents that have a rotating schedule of performances as well as an all-day karaoke show. The full schedule of events can be found within the new Kentucky State Fair app.
Sunday night will feature a Main a Stage performance of the Southern Uprising Tour, that includes performances by Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels Band, Marshall Tucker Band, and Lee Roy Parnell. Admission is separate from the cost to visit the fair, but tickets are still available. The Turf Concert Series will feature Theory of a Deadman tonight, and Matthew West, Colton Dixon, Hawk Nelson, and Sarah Reeves on Sunday. Admission to these two concerts is included in the general fair admission.
For the foodie, the Fair will not disappoint. Normal fair-food items can be found throughout the entire venue, such as gyros, philly cheese steak, brats, funnel cakes, etc. Inside the exhibit hall, you may be able to find a stand selling deep fried PB&J sandwiches. Outside near the live music tents, there is a mobile seafood grill that features fried oysters and conch, tuna burgers, ostrich burgers, alligator, and much more. In the Kentucky Cookout tent, fair goers will find everything from locally-sourced sweet corn, catfish, ice cream, to pork chop sandwiches.
Gates to the 2017 Kentucky State Fair open at 7 AM, but the exhibits do not open until 9 AM. Admission is $10 per person and parking is $10 per vehicle. If visitors ride TARC to the Exposition Center, admission is reduced to $7.
WorldFest, one of the region’s largest international festivals, will take place this Labor Day weekend for its 15th year, with four days of international food, music, dance and culture starting Sept. 1 at the downtown Belvedere.
More than 70 local and regional entertainers will offer a variety of music, dance styles and beats, ranging from African drumming to reggae to Indian, Celtic, Arabic, Latin, Caribbean music and more.
Headliner acts will include Toby Foyeh & Orchestra Africa, Cheili Minucci & the EFK All Stars with Karen Briggs, Billy Goat Strut Revue, Cosa Seria, Afro Physicists, and The British Invasion.
More than 100 vendors will participate, with 30-plus food vendors serving a global sampling of cuisine and culture.
“Louisville is a welcoming community, a community that values the immigrants and refugees who help make us grow as a city in so many ways,” Mayor Greg Fischer said today, in announcing this year’s event. “Our diversity is on proud display during the WorldFest weekend, and I encourage everyone to come out and experience all the world has to offer, right here in our own downtown.”
Admission to WorldFest is free all four days because of Western Kentucky University Confucius Institute and Passport Health Plan’s generous support.
“The Confucius Institute at WKU (CI at WKU) is very excited to partner with the Mayor’s office to support this event,” said the institute’s Terrill Martin. “Last year was the first year that the CI at WKU participated in the event, and it was phenomenal. We wanted to be a bigger presence this year, which is why we are a ‘Gold’ sponsor.
“What a great platform for us to share the Chinese culture and language to the communities we serve,” Martin said.
“Passport Health Plan is proud to once again sponsor the WorldFest event in downtown Louisville,” said Jill Bell, its Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer. “This amazing international festival highlights so many of the wonderful and diverse people who make Louisville such a fun and exciting place to live, work and play.”
In addition to music, food and dancing, other highlights include:
- The Global Village – A kaleidoscope of Louisville’s culture, where you can interact with representatives of more than 20 nations. All nine of Louisville’s Sister Cities will be represented again this year.
- The WorldFest Children’s Area – Will feature activities from WKU’s Confucius Institute, as well as Home Depot.
- Parade of Cultures – Will showcase the multicultural diversity of our unique city.
- Chinese Cultural Experience – Mobile Unit in front of The Kentucky Center.
The festival includes a naturalization ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, where more than 300 immigrants will become full U.S. citizens, and a colorful Parade of Cultures at noon on Saturday.
New this year, the children’s activities have expanded to include more than 20 interactive activities highlighting specific aspects of the Chinese culture like calligraphy lessons, fan painting and Tai Chi demonstrations. In addition, the Confucius Institute will have its Chinese Cultural Experience mobile unit on display in front of the Kentucky Center for the Arts. This 40-foot RV is retrofitted to serve as a Chinese museum on wheels.
Along with the Chinese Cultural Experience, the Global Human Project has registered more than 1,000 middle school and high school students to take part in the Walk-A-Mile in My Shoes Immigration Simulation on Friday, Sept. 1. Students will play the roles of immigrants and will encounter the hardships that are common to refugees.
On Sunday, Sept. 3, WorldFest will offer a Job Expo from 1 to 7 p.m. on the west lawn between The Kentucky Center and the Main Stage. This is a great opportunity for community members to connect with hiring managers from a number of employers in our area.
The International Festival and Events Association has recognized WorldFest as among the best in North America. In 2011, it was named a Top Ten Fall Festival by the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, and in 2015, the International Festival and Event Association named Louisville the Top Festival City in North America.
WorldFest is free to the public because of its generous sponsors. Signature Gold Sponsors: Western Kentucky University Confucius Institute and Passport Health Plan. Silver Sponsors: Kentucky Lottery and ValuMarket. Bronze Sponsors: The Muhammad Ali Center, Al Dia, Anthem Medicaid, CareSource, Ford/UAW, Stella Artois, and WLKY. Contributing Sponsors: Erie Insurance, El Kentubano, The Galt House Hotel, Global Human Project, The Home Depot, Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Louisville Public Media, Outfront Media and UPS.
For more information about WorldFest, visit worldfestlouisville.com. Let us know if you plan to attend, via our Facebook event page. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram @AroundLou!
On Saturday, September 9, the Louisville Orchestra will perform a FREE concert led by Principal Pops Conductor, Bob Bernhardt. The concert will begin at 7PM at the Iroquois Amphitheater and will feature pieces and excerpts from the upcoming Classics, Coffee, and Pops concerts.
The program is as diverse as the The Iroquois Amphitheater is a beautiful venue for this light and casual event.
- Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7, Mvt. IV (Finale)
- Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 7, Mvt. II (Funeral March)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, Mvt. III (Waltz)
- Gioachino Rossini “Largo al factotum” The Barber of Seville, Chad Sloan, baritone
- John Williams “Harry’s Wondrous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- Samuel Barber Adagio for Strings
- Leonard Bernstein Overture to West Side Story
- (arr. Maurice Peress)
- John Lennon/Paul McCartney Yesterday
- Teddy Abrams Unified Field, Mvt. IV
- Gustav Holst “Jupiter” from The Planets
This concert is free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of Caldwell Tanks. Parking is $5.
Single tickets for the Louisville Orchestra’s 80th Season are now on sale! Call 502.584.7777 or click here for a schedule of concerts.
Multiple subscription options are also still available. Call the LO Patron Services at 502.587.8681 or visit LouisvilleOrchestra.org. LO staff will be at the event to fulfill all subscription needs and answer any questions about upcoming concerts.
