Kentucky Derby Festival
Kentucky Derby Festival is a not-for-profit community organization of 4,000 volunteers who work all year to provide quality entertainment that enhances the community. Produced annually since 1956, the Derby Festival has become a whirlwind of 70 special events entertaining 1.5 million people annually and millions more on-line! The Festival blasts off each April with our Opening Ceremonies – Thunder Over Louisville, now the nation’s largest annual fireworks extravaganza! The ensuing two weeks of excitement and entertainment promises something for everyone.
People from all over the world travel to Louisville, Kentucky each year to take part in the Derby Festival and experience the legendary Run for the Roses on the first Saturday in May. With more than 70 events ranging from one of the country’s largest half-marathons, to the Pegasus Parade, to an old-fashioned steamboat race, the Kentucky Derby Festival offers a wide spectrum of activities for both local residents and visitors. Annual attendance of events has exceeded 1.5 million in recent years. The festival is also a mirror of the community – events are attended by people representing all ages, education levels, geographic and income ranges.
Two weeks before the Derby, the festival’s opening ceremonies kick off with Thunder Over Louisville. The massive pyrotechnic spectacular and air show on the Ohio River can be seen for miles, attracting approximately 500,000 or more spectators to the Kentucky and Indiana shorelines. Thunder Over Louisville sets the stage for a whirlwind of eagerly awaited festival events that not only provide a huge economic impact on the community, but also help to define the city’s character and traditions.
And it all started with one event in 1956.
It was a simple premise – create some events at this unparalleled time called Derby that everyone could attend, no matter the size of their pocketbook. That first event was not only free to the 50,000 who showed up to watch, but included groups from every walk of life in the community as participants. The entire Derby Festival was founded on this one event and on a meager budget of $640. This pattern would inspire the next four decades.
Now more than 70 events, 22 full-time paid staff members and an annual budget of $5 million, a lot has changed for the 53-year-old Festival. And yet those basic concepts four civic-minded volunteers had in 1956 remain the very essence of Kentucky Derby Festival, Inc. (KDF) today – create events that entertain, are affordable and contribute to the common good of this community.
The Kentucky Derby Festival: “So Much to Celebrate!”
KDF took a famous “two minutes” and made it a two-week extravaganza. What the Run for the Roses is to horse racing, Louisville’s Derby Festival is to community celebrations. The Festival is one of the premiere events of its kind in the world. It brings fun, excitement, international recognition and a spirit that is unmatched anywhere.
What is Derby Festival? The Commonwealth’s largest single annual event, and one of Louisville’s most popular entertainment attractions, the celebration is produced by Kentucky Derby Festival, Inc., a private, not-for-profit civic organization.
The Festival is not affiliated directly with Churchill Downs or the Kentucky Derby. It is a separate organization. The Festival celebrates the horse race, but more importantly, the unique spirit of the community at “Derby” time. The Derby Festival has become a rite of spring.
Attendance: an estimated 1.5 million (13% – 200,000 from outside Jefferson County). (This technically makes KDF the largest annual convention by attendance, as the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau currently cites the National Street Rod Assoc. as the largest, based on 30,000 in attendance.)
Events: 70-plus special events comprise the Festival schedule (some are produced by outside organizations requesting to be included on the schedule).
Board: 75-member volunteer Board of Directors (comprised of key business leaders and civic volunteers).
Staff: 22 full-time paid professionals.
Volunteers: 4,000 needed to produce the two-week Festival. (If these were paid employees, KDF would be the 6th largest employer in the state.)
Founded: 1956 (1st event – Pegasus Parade) – 2009 will mark the 54th Festival.
Budget: $6 million projected (1st budget was $640).
Economic Impact: $93.6 million on area economy estimated in 2001. (This means for roughly every $1 spent by KDF to produce events, $17 are generated in the local economy.) (The impact of Churchill Downs, hotels & restaurant sales are not considered in this conservative estimate.)
Charitable Impact: $300,000 annually – events on the Festival schedule help raise money for organizations such as the Crusade for Children, Kosair Charities, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Louisville Urban League, Metro United Way, etc.
Mission Statement: We provide unique entertainment and community service for the people of the Greater Louisville area that directly contributes to the aesthetic, cultural, educational, charitable and economic development of the area.
We will organize, promote and conduct events using the collective efforts and resources of volunteers, small and large businesses, non-profit organizations and governmental entities to enhance the positive international recognition, economic and cultural development, and community image of the Greater Louisville area.
There are so many ways for a business to participate within KDF and benefit your bottom line. They have 4 Sponsorship levels: 1) Patron Sponsor; 2) Festival Sponsor; 3) Executive Sponsor; and, 4) Trustee Sponsor. There are other sponsorship opportunities such as: Event Sponsorship, Hospitality Opportunities, Sampling and Promotions, Corporate/Pegasus Pins, Event Participation such as: Parade inflatables, Floats and Hot Air Balloons. There are also opportunities for Corporate Team Entries for the Run for the Rosé, Bed Races, Pro-Am Golf Tournament and Marathon. There are also volunteer and merchandise sponsorship opportunities.
