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Ordering Papa John’s pizza will help support this year’s Thunder Over Louisville, now just one month away. Papa John’s and Kentucky Derby Festival officials announced this morning that Papa John’s is the new title sponsor of the Thunder Funder program. The program2 helps raise funds for Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies set for April 21. Beginning today, participating Papa John’s locations will donate $1.00 of every Thunder Fireworks pizza purchased to help support Thunder. The Thunder Fireworks pizza must be ordered online at PapaJohns.com using the online promo code THUNDERPIZZA.
“Thanks to Papa John’s, supporting Thunder Over Louisville this year will be as easy as ordering a pizza,”
said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “Without the support of community-minded partners like Papa John’s, we couldn’t produce the show fans have come to expect and anticipate.”
Papa John’s is renaming their popular “Works” pizza to the “Thunder Fireworks” pizza for the special promotion, which will last from now through May 6, 2018. The pizza features pepperoni, Canadian bacon, spicy Italian sausage, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and black olives.
“Papa John’s has been a proud Kentucky Derby Festival sponsor for the past 15 years. For the first time, we’re excited to be the title sponsor of the Thunder Funder Program,” said Hillary Simmons, Papa John’s Community Project Specialist. “Through the Thunder Funder Program, we continue to build upon our community-focused initiatives across our home base of Kentuckiana.”
In 2017, Papa John’s locations across Kentuckiana and Central Kentucky raised and donated a combined $191,000 to local organizations striving to make communities a BETTER place to work and live. Papa John’s FIREWORKS Pizza promotion will help to support one of the iconic annual events in Louisville.
Papa John’s partnership with Thunder in 2018 also includes new Papa Wi-Fi Zones with charging pods throughout the venue to help fans stay connected, so they can easily share all their favorite moments from this year’s event with family and friends.
The theme of this year’s show is “A Disco Thunder,” celebrating disco music. The Festival is also planning for another packed air show in 2018, which could include additional military aircraft participation.
Presenting sponsors of Thunder Over Louisville are Horseshoe Southern Indiana, LG&E, Meijer, UPS and Valero. Ford Motor Company returns as sponsor of Ford’s Thunder on the Ground. Thunder Over Louisville’s 2018 Official Broadcast Partners are WLKY TV and SummitMedia’s 106.9 PLAY. The Galt House is the Official Hotel of the event. Thunder Over Louisville is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. 2018 marks the 29th annual production.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Louisville Parks & Recreation StepFest returns this Saturday, March 24. The competition starts at 1pm, at Central High School (1130 W Chestnut Street in Louisville). Doors open for the event at Noon. The competition will feature elementary, middle and high school step teams, as well as community step groups.
“We’re very excited to be hosting the StepFest dance competition again in 2018,” said Ben Johnson, Assistant Director of Recreation. “It’s quickly becoming a Derby Festival tradition. We’ve already doubled the number of step teams competing this year.”
Division winners will receive cash prizes. In addition, all division winners will be featured in the 2018 Republic Bank Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade, where they will show off their moves once more. Admission for spectators to watch StepFest is $5, and is free for children 5 and under.
The competition is free for participants and registration will be open until the event starts. If interested, contact Laneisha Beasley at (502) 574-3206 or Laneisha.beasley@louisvilleky.gov.
The Kentucky Derby Festival StepFest is sponsored by Louisville Parks & Recreation, with Media Sponsor B96.5 FM.
Class Act Federal Credit Union and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation will host dozens of talented kids at the Academic Challenge this weekend. The quick-recall tournament is set for this Saturday, March 24, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown. The tournament is coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools is scheduled for 8 AM to 3 PM.
“The Academic Challenge event is a great way to showcase the academic achievements of not only our local students, but also our public schools,” said Jeff English, President of the KDF Foundation. “The competition continues to grow each year with more teams participating.”
The Class Act Federal Credit Union Academic Challenge is an opportunity for elementary students from all over the county to test their acumen by answering questions pertaining to math, science, social studies, language arts and humanities. This year’s competition will feature 12 teams from local elementary schools and 150 students.
“Class Act Federal Credit Union is a not for profit education-based financial cooperative, founded by a group of JCPS teachers in 1954,” said Pat Curran, SVP Marketing and Business Development, Class Act Federal Credit Union. “As part of our support for education in Kentucky, we are happy to support the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Academic Challenge.
The top three schools will be awarded trophies, with first through third also receiving monetary awards. It’s free for spectators. For more information contact Doug Wilham at douglas.wilham@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3702.
The event is sponsored by Class Act Federal Credit Union and coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools. It is a Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation event
Winner Gets Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
Taking a lesson from Willy Wonka, the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Foundation is giving away a Golden Ticket for the 2018 Festival. The lucky winner (and a guest) will experience the Derby Festival like never before! The Golden Ticket includes a Derby Festival package valued at $3553. This is a once in a lifetime chance to attend many of the Festival’s most anticipated (and often sold out) events. Raffle tickets are 50 dollars each and ONLY 500 will be sold. Taking a lesson from Willy Wonka, the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Foundation is giving away a Golden Ticket for the 2018 Festival. The lucky winner (and a guest) will experience the Derby Festival like never before! The Golden Ticket includes a Derby Festival package valued at $3553. This is a once in a lifetime chance to attend many of the Festival’s most anticipated (and often sold out) events. Raffle tickets are 50 dollars each and ONLY 500 will be sold.
The Golden Ticket raffle is also for a good cause. Proceeds benefit the Kentucky Derby Festival’s Foundation – the charitable arm of the Derby Festival. The Golden Ticket raffle is coordinated by The Fillies, Inc., a volunteer organization that works closely with the Derby Festival year-round.
The Golden Ticket package includes:
- 2 Grandstand Box tickets to 2018 Kentucky Oaks on May 4, 2018
- Hot air balloon ride for 2 people during the U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest™
- 2 tickets to The Fillies Derby Ball®
- 2 tickets to They’re Off!® Luncheon
- 2 VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville
- 2 tickets to the Great Steamboat Race on the Belle of Louisville
- 2 tickets to Kentucky Proud WineFest
- 2 VIP viewing seats at the Republic Bank Pegasus® Parade
- 2 tickets to The Children’s Tea® with the Derby Festival Princesses
- 2 signed 2018 KDF Official Posters
- $100 gift card for Official KDF Merchandise
- 2 complete sets of 2018 Pegasus® Pins – including a Gold Pin!
- 2 memberships to KDF’s Thorobred® VIP program in 2019
Raffle tickets are on sale NOW. They can be purchased at the Derby Festival office at 1001 S. Third Street in Louisville, by calling (502) 584-FEST, or online at KDF.org. The winner will be drawn at the Macy’s Derby Festival Spring Fashion Show at Horseshoe Southern Indiana in March.
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.
Kentucky Derby Festival has a lot of reasons to celebrate today! Louisville’s annual civic celebration received 37 top honors at the International Festivals & Events Association’s (IFEA) Convention and Expo in Tucson, Arizona. The Derby Festival won the Bronze Grand Pinnacle in the “Best Overall Festival Program” category, tying with Destination NSW (The Rocks, NSW Australia). The “Patronato de la Feria Estatal de León y Parque Ecólogico” (León, Gto. Mexico) was runner-up with silver and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Philadelphia, PA) won gold. The Grand Pinnacle is the IFEA’s highest award. The Festival competes each year against other major festivals and events from around the world.
The Festival also received 36 Pinnacle Awards – 17 Gold, 9 Silver, and 11 Bronze in various categories for events, media relations, advertising campaign, sponsorship and merchandise. The IFEA is the premiere association that supports festival and event professionals worldwide. The Pinnacle Awards competition recognizes the best special events, festival materials, promotions and ideas in the festivals and events industry.
“It’s both humbling and rewarding for all your hard work to be recognized by other special events professionals,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “The Pinnacle Awards are a reflection of tremendous support provided by our board, sponsors, volunteers and the community as a whole.”
More than 2,000 member festivals compete for the annual IFEA awards. The Kentucky Derby Festival competes with among the ranks of the Indy 500 Festival, Seattle Sea Fair, Destination NSW (The Rocks, NSW Australia), Celebrations, Ottawa, Inc. (Ottawa, ON Canada), Memphis in May International Festival, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Gimje Horizon Festival (Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do South Korea), Portland Rose Festival, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Fiesta San Antonio, Philadelphia Flower Show and Pacific National Exhibition (Vancouver, BC Canada). Continue reading
Families are invited to the North Great Lawn inside Kroger’s Festival today, Sunday, April 30, from 1-4 p.m. for the YMCA Healthy Kids Day Presented by Humana. The Derby Festival joined forces with the YMCA of Greater Louisville and Humana to bring free family fun to the Waterfront.
“We are excited to join forces with the award-winning Kentucky Derby Festival team,” said Steve Tarver, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Louisville. “It’s community partnerships like this and the support of Humana that make YMCA Healthy Kids Day a truly unique family event that emphasizes the value of health and fitness for everyone during an exciting time of year in our city.”
Geared toward children ages 3 and older, plus adults, the event will feature interactive and family fitness activities, inflatables and giveaways. The fifth annual miniFun Run for Kids will also be a part of the festivities. The best part is, admission is free!
“This partnership allows us to expand on our miniFun Run event for kids, which started in 2013,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “There will be activities for children and adults alike, all while promoting healthy lifestyles and healthy families.”
The event is coordinated by YMCA of Greater Louisville with Presenting Sponsor Humana. Joining them are Media Sponsors Today’s Family Magazine and 102.3 The Max.
Food, drink and pets are not permitted. For more information, visit ymcalouisville.org or call 502-587-9622.
