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Photo: Kentucky Derby Festival
Thunder Over Louisville fans making plans for a place to park their RV, pitch a tent or park their car have an option that’s close to the action. Metro Parks is selling passes for Thunder weekend at Eva Bandman Park, 1701 River Road.
Eva Bandman Park is located along the Ohio River near Frankfort Avenue, less than a 10-minute stroll from the eastern edge of Waterfront Park.
• Recreational Vehicles – RV parking is available beginning Friday, April 21, for $200. All parking spaces can accommodate a 40-foot vehicle with an awning. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
• Tents – Campers bringing tents may stay in Eva Bandman Park on Friday and Saturday nights for $50. This includes space for one car, not necessarily next to your tent. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
• Parking – On Saturday, April 22, parking spots at Eva Bandman Park will be available as long as space permits, at a cost of $20 per vehicle. Cash only, paid at time of arrival.
Overnight visitors in tents and RVs can stay through Sunday morning. Metro Parks’ staff will be available around the clock. A reservation form can be found here. After staging their site on Friday, those not wishing to camp overnight may exit the park using their extra vehicle and return on Saturday. Previous parking spaces are not guaranteed. Spaces may become limited as Saturday progresses; no other re-entry is authorized.
Advanced registration is highly recommended as the Louisville Police Department will be organizing street closures in the area.
For more information call 502/574-7275 (PARK).
Thunder, Derby, Travelling Events All Included on List
Courtesy: Kentuckytourism.com
Several events hosted in Louisville have received the honor of inclusion on the Top 100 Events in the United States 2015 list. At least two are Louisville-specific events, while others are events that are “just passing through.” Still more events have connections to Louisville and the Commonwealth – which just goes to show why My Old Kentucky Home is a great place to live.
Among Sporting Events, the Kentucky Derby ranked at number seven. The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports was edged out by heavyweight events such as the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500 race.
Also ahead of the Derby was another sporting event with Louisville and Kentucky connections: the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Last year, Kentucky made it to the Final Four in Indianapolis before being defeated, while Louisville was knocked out earlier in the tournament. The previous year, Louisville and Kentucky met in the Midwest Regional of the tournament and the year before that Louisville rose to the top to beat Michigan for the Championship title. Louisville, of course, also plays host to earlier rounds of the tournament.
In the Festivals, Parades & Holiday Events category, Louisville also got a nod for Thunder Over Louisville, which took 9th place in the category. The Derby Festival celebration ranked behind events including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and Mardi Gras.
Under the heading of Political Events, ranked third (ahead of the State of the Union address) was the National Rifle Association Annual Meetings & Exhibits. Although the 2015 NRAAM event was held just down I-65 in Nashville, next year’s event will be held right here in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Top honors in the Entertainment Industry Events category went to Comic-Con International and, although “the big show” is held in San Diego, Louisville does play host to it’s own versions of the show through FandomFest and the Derby City Comic Con.
View the full list of Top Events in the US at BizBash.com.
Although Thunder Over Louisville feature the largest annual fireworks display in North America, Waterfront Park isn’t the only place around Louisville with an explosive display this weekend. Knob Creek Gun Range, just south of Louisville in West Point plays host to a large gun show twice a year.
The event draws people from all over the United States and around the world to see fully automatic firearms, explosions and vendor exhibits. Visit the official page for more details. If you are a firearms enthusiast looking for an alternative to the waterfront events, the Machine Gun Shoot might be just what you are looking for.
Courtesy: Kentuckytourism.com
Spring has sprung in Kentuckiana and that means one thing: Louisville is transforming into Derby City.
The 140th running of the Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 3, 2014 under the twin spires of Churchill Downs. Are you ready for “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports?”
Leading up to The Run for the Roses is the Kentucky Derby Festival that lasts from April 12 through Oaks Day on Friday, May 2. As always, Thunder Over Louisville kicks off three weeks of exciting events that are sure to be fun for the whole family. See the full schedlue below.
So, Louisville, use the comments below to tell us about your Derby plans. Are you having a Derby party? Are you watching the races from Millionaires Row, the infield, from home or not at all? Will you be catching the fireworks and aerobatic excitement of Thunder? Will you be among the throng lining the streets for the Pegasus Parade?
Kentucky Derby Festival Schedule
04/12/2014
- Give A Day: Mayor’s Week of Service
- Thunder Over Louisville
- Ford’s Thunder on the Ground
04/14/2014
- King Southern Bank Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Pro-Am Golf Tournament
04/17/2014
- Horseshoe Foundation Night of the Future Stars
- Race Expo And Packet Pickup
- Stock Yard’s Bank & Trust $1 Million Dollar Hole-in-One Golf Contest
04/18/2014
- Basketball Classic presented by Papa John’s
04/19/2014
- NPC Derby Championships
- Volleyball Classic
- Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon & miniMarathon presented by Walmart and HumanaVitality
04/24/2014
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest: Great Balloon Glimmer
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest: Crew Challenge
- Chow Wagon
- Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville on the Waterfront
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest
04/25/2014
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest: Great Balloon Glow
- Zumba Fitness Party
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest: Great Balloon Rush-Hour Race
04/26/2014
- U.S. Bank Great BalloonFest: Great Balloon Race
- ACO Derbyhole Classic
- Da’Ville Classic Drum Line Showcase
04/27/2014
- miniFun Run presented by HumanaVitality and Subway Restaurants
- Louisville Youth Orchestra Concert
- GospelFest presented by Passport Health Plan
- Celebration Sunday with 88.5 WJIE featuring Audio Adrenaline
- Mayor’s Derby Brunch on the River
- Tour de Lou
- Children’s Tea with the Kentucky Derby Festival Princesses
04/28/2014
- Great Bed Races
- Don Fightmaster Golf Outing
- Discovery Day
- HappyTail Hour
- Knights of Columbus Charity Dinner
04/29/2014
- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Health Fair
- BetAmerica Texas Hold’Em Tournament
- Republic Bank Pegasus Parade Preview Party
- Kentucky Proud WineFest
- Tuesday Concert feat. Ohio Players and Lakeside
- Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Student Art Contest presented by the Kentucky School of Art
04/30/2014
- Great Steamboat Race
- Battle of the Bounce
- Wednesday Concert feat. Sam Roberts Band with LEAGUES
05/01/2014
- Waterfront Jam presented by Laura’s Lean Beef
- Celebrity Day at the Downs
- Republic Bank Pegasus Parade
05/02/2014
- Waterfront Jam presented by Laura’s Lean Beef: Friday Concert feat. Scotty McCreery with special guest Cassadee Pope, and Steve Holy
Photo: Shawn Skriver
Thunder Over Louisville is the explosive kick off event for the weeks-long Kentucky Derby Festival leading up to the May 3, 2014 Run For the Roses. Held since 1990, Thunder combines a collossal air show, a huge waterfront fair atmosphere and North America’s largest annual fireworks display that lasts nearly half an hour with pyrotechnics launched from bridges and barges. It’s pretty spectacular stuff. Since 1997, Thunder boasts an average attendance of 625,000 people at the all-day event.
Thunder Over Louisville 2014 is Saturday April 12 with the center of action at Waterfront Park. The airshow this year boasts such popular features as the Navy Blue Angels and a nearly window-shattering F22 Raptor demonstration as well as numerous aerobatic acts. Breaks in the all-day airshow offer a perfect opportunity to wander around Ford’s Thunder on the Ground – a fairground atmosphere that features a climbing wall, rides and no shortage of vendors and greasy food from the Chow Wagon.
Don’t spend too much time wandering, though. The action does not stop with the airshow or at the midway. Waterfront Park fills up fast, so you will want to be sure to stake out a good viewing location for the nighttime fireworks display that starts at 9:30PM.
Every Thunder Over Louisville event has had an underlying theme for the musically choreographed pyrotechnic display. Past themes have included Americana, Hollywood, the Millennium celebration, country music, rock music, television, Broadway and more. The 2014 display is called Throwback Thunder and will incorporate a “best of” style display that draws elements from past shows.
Admission to all of the riverfront fun is included with your Pegasus Pin, available at locations around Kentuckiana.
