Annual Festivals & Events
From an award-winning festival city
Louisville knows how to party (and host a festival)!
In fact, the whole world knows.
In addition to hosting the longest running annual sporting event in America (the Kentucky Derby), Louisville became one of the first cities in the world to be recognized as a TOP festival and event city.
The International Festivals & Events Association named Louisville a "best festival city" for its various events and how the community supports them.
Find out yourself by exploring one of the many happenings going on throughout the year.
Annual Festivals & Events
- Abbey Road on the River
- Ali Festival
- Americana World Festival
- The Big Stomp
- Brew at the Zoo & Wine, Too!
- Jeffersontown Beer Festival
- Kentuckiana Pride Festival
- Kentucky Craft Bash
- Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
- Kentucky State Fair
- Mayor’s Hike, Bike & Paddle
- NSRA Street Rod Nationals Plus
- Old Fashioned Fortnight
- Old Lou Craft Beer Festival
- Waterfront Independence Festival
- World Championship of Dainty
- World Championship Horse Show
- Belknap Festival
- Boo at the Zoo
- Bourbon & Beyond
- Garvin Gate Blues Festival
- Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular
- Louder Than Life
- Louisville’s International Festival of Film
- Louisville Pride Festival
- Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival
- Mayor’s Hike, Bike & Paddle
- National Bourbon Heritage Month
- National Jug Band Jubilee
- North American Livestock Exposition & Championship Rodeo
- NuLu Festival
- Pumpkins at Kentucky Kingdom
- St. James Court Art Show
- Urban Bourbon Half Marathon
- WorldFest
Upcoming Festivals
Shepherd Insurance Great Steamboat Race
Waterfront Park/Along the Ohio River Shoreline
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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Shepherd Insurance Great Steamboat Race
As one of the original and longest-standing traditions of the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Great Steamboat Race has been taking place on the Ohio River since...
Forest Fest
12408 Holsclaw Hill Road
Fairdale, Kentucky 40118
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Join us on 5/17 at Forest Fest, our annual Bluegrass and Americana music festival! Enjoy a family-friendly day of live music, workshops, nature play, food...
Abbey Road On The River
223 Pearl St.
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
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Abbey Road on the River, the world's largest Beatles-inspired music festival, will be held Memorial Day weekend, May 22-26, 2025, at the Big Four Station Park...
Floral Frenzy
937 Phillips Lane
Louisville, Kentucky 40209
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Experience color in motion as we celebrate the transition from spring to summertime in Louisville. Kentucky Kingdom's Floral Frenzy festival commemorates the...
Much Ado About Nothing - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
1340 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
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Much Ado About Nothing - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.” The 65th season kicks off with one of the greatest romantic comedies ever written. It’s a battle of wits, and love...
Floral Frenzy Silent Disco
937 Phillips Lane\r\n937 Phillips Lane
Louisville, Kentucky 40209
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Stay late during Floral Frenzy for a Silent Disco, where guests can wear wireless headphones while dancing and singing along to music with a fun group of...
Sky Soul Festival
231 E. Witherspoon St.
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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Prepare for an enchanting experience as the Sky Soul Festival graces Waterfront Park in Downtown Louisville, KY, brought to you by Sky Foundation. This eagerly...
Hamlet - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
1340 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
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Hamlet - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Shakespeare’s unparalleled masterpiece is a haunting tale of corruption, betrayal, and revenge. Follow Hamlet...
Kentuckiana Pride Festival & Parade
1101 River Rd.
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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Kentuckiana Pride Festival & Parade
One of the largest LGBTQ+ events in Kentucky! An estimated 20,000+ people join us to celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community with an annual parade, vendor marketplace,...
Kentucky Craft Bash
231 Witherspoon Ave.
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
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Ready to embark on a beer adventure? Kentucky Craft Bash is your passport to the most diverse and exciting beer experience in the state! We're talking 50+...
Bluegrass & Booms
937 Phillips Lane
Louisville, Kentucky 40209
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Soar, splash, and kick off the Fourth of July weekend with a BOOM! Kentucky Kingdom’s Bluegrass & Booms commemorates Independence Day weekend with daily...
Cymbeline - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
1340 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
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Cymbeline - Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
“O, for a horse with wings!” Shakespeare’s inventive fairy tale of love, loss, and legacy… An evil stepmother, long-lost princes, a banished lover, dastardly...