HOLIDAY PROFILE
Derby Day
Usher in spring with cheers for the horses, laughter with friends, donning of bow ties and fun hats, and the sipping of mint juleps in the delight of fresh air and sunshine!
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The Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is always run on the first Saturday of May, around 7:00pm ET.
In 2023, the Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, May 6.
Celebrate all day on Derby Day or just make it an afternoon-evening affair around the time of the race.
Ways to Celebrate
Here are some ideas for how you can celebrate Derby Day.
Make it a Day-Long Festivity
Do it up big and celebrate all day long!
- Send fun and festive invitations
- Set a dress code that includes hats, fascinators, and bow ties
- Decorate with roses or other flowers, horse-themed trimmings, and springtime ornamentation
- Play casual lawn games throughout the day: croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes!
- Make or purchase a meal of southern classics – like Kentucky hot brown sliders
- Serve mint juleps and/or the signature drink for the other big race of the weekend – the Oaks Lily
Gather to Watch the Race
The call to the post is usually a little before 7:00 PM Eastern Time, so make it a dinner party. Prepare mint juleps, food, and get the race ready on TV or a streaming service ahead of time, and then settle in for the pre-race programming, make your predictions, and watch the most exciting two minutes in sports!
Find a Local Pub or Bar that Shows the Race
Join others in drinking mint juleps and cheering at a favorite watering hole.
Fête Resources
Use our idea board and playlist to help you make your party look, sound, taste, and feel Derby-riffic!
Derby Day Idea Board
Click on idea board for printable image with hyperlinks.
Derby Day Music Playlist
More About The Holiday
Kentucky Derby History & Traditions
The Genesis of the Race and its Track
In the 1700s, races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses began called “derbies” based on famous races in England that were arranged by the Earl of Derby. In 1872, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of the famous pioneer William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame), came back from a trip to Europe inspired to set up a racetrack in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The track was built on land owned by Clark’s uncles, whose last name of Churchill was later incorporated into the name of the race track – Churchill Downs. The first Kentucky Derby was run in May of 1875.
Developments Over the Years
The event saw a new system for betting, the presence of celebrities, and radio broadcasting of the race in the early 20th century. The term “Triple Crown” began to be used to refer to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes early in the century. The Derby was televised locally in 1949 and nationally in 1952. The race has run uninterrupted since 1875 – through the Great Depression, both World Wars, and (though rescheduled) the COVID-19 pandemic – and is the longest-running sports event in the United States. A qualification system has been devised based on point accumulation over a series of preparatory races leading up to the Derby, and the 20 horses with the most points are eligible to enter. Now tens of thousands of visitors and locals celebrate numerous activities in Louisville during the Kentucky Derby Festival each year.
Kentucky Derby Trivia
- In 1933, there was a fist fight between the jockeys of the first and second-place horses as the approached the finish line (which gained the nickname the “Fighting Finish”)
- Secretariat is the fastest winner ever, with a time of 1:59.40
- A few women have raced as jockeys, and a few fillies (female horses) have won the race
- The nickname “Run for the Roses” refers to the bouquet of red roses that dress the winning horse, the term was coined by sport columnist Bill Corum in 1925
- “My Old Kentucky Home” by Stephen Foster is traditionally played as the horses enter the racetrack
Links
Fête’s Herolds Host: “Spring Party ’21” | A review of a party that incorporated Derby Day
Kentucky Derby At Home | Recipes, fashion, party planning, and more from kentuckyderby.com
