There are a lot of great things to do in and around Kentucky. Here’s a sample of the awesome and “interesting” festivals happening around the Commonwealth.
Have an event you would like us to add and possibly cover?
JuLy 2026
Now – July 26, 2026
Louisville Zoo Wild Lights Lantern Festival
Chinese Lantern-style light display.
Now – August 9, 2026
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
Central Park, Louisville, KY
Now – May 16, 2027
Main Off-Broadway Play Reading Series
Louisville Public Libraries
Thursdays – July 9, 2026 – August 27, 2026
Bourbon and Botanicals Music Series
Where live music, craft bourbon, and the beauty of the gardens come together.
July 11, 2026
JTown Big Pour
Jeffersontown Summer Craft Beer Fest
July 11, 2026
Louisville ROARchestra
Summer Breeze — Yacht Rock Classics
July 13-19, 2026
Burger Week
Burgers from Louisville’s Most Delicious Restaurants
July 18, 2026
NuLu Summer Fest
700 & 800 blocks of East Market Street, Louisville, KY
July 25 – 26, 2026
Louisville Street Food Festival
A spectacular weekend event will feature the Louisville area’s best food trucks & restaurants with ALL food items priced at $5 or less!
July 26 -July 28, 2026
World Championship Dainty Contest and Dainty Fest
World Championship Dainty Contest, Louisville’s Schnitzelburg neighborhood.
August 2026
August 1 – August 2, 2026
Carnavales de Sweet Havana
A two-day Caribbean and Latin cultural festival on 4th Street, Louisville, KY.
August 1, 2026
Frazier Summer Beer Fest
August 1, 2026
12 pm – 4 pm
Hops on the Hill Festival
August 8, 2026
Sky Soul Festival
Sky Soul Festival is where music, culture, and energy come together for one unforgettable night in Louisville.
August 9, 2026
Balloons Over the Bluegrass Hot Air Balloon Festival
Hot air balloons, food trucks, vendors, family fun & static displays.
August 14, 2026
Totally Tubular Festival
Music festival at Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville, KY.
Tomas Dolby, Flock of Seagulls, Men Without Hats, and more.
August 20 – August 30, 2026
Kentucky State Fair
Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY
August 21, 2026
Old Louisville Brew Craft Beer Fest
September 2026
September 17 – 20, 2026
Louder Than Life
Major rock festival
September 23 – 27, 2026
Bourbon and Beyond
Major music festival
September 19, 2026
NuLu Festival
600 to 900 blocks of East Market Street, Louisville, KY
September 10 – 20, 2026
Jeffersontown Gaslight Festival
September 12 – 13, 2026
Big Four Bridge Art Festival
September 12, 2026
Louisville Pride Festival
Kentucky’s largest free Pride festival on Bardstown Road in the Highlands of Louisville.
October
October 3 – 4, 2026
Bowman Fest
Aviation and military heritage festival featuring air shows, static aircraft displays, military vehicles, family activities, and more.
October 15 – 18, 2026
Goatman Festival
Louisville’s weirdest festival.
Pope Lick Park
4002 S Pope Lick Rd
Louisville, KY 40299
October 14, 2026
6 pm – 9 pm
Louisville Zoo Skelebration
Skelebration is an after-hours Halloween event for adults 21 and older that features costumes, drinks, and tasty treats along the zoo’s traditional holiday route.
October 30-31, 2026
The 2026 Breeders Cup
Keeneland, Lexington, KY
2027
April
April 3, 2027
2027 Toyota Bluegrass Stakes
Keeneland, Lexington, KY.
April, 17, 2027
Thunder over Louisville
Airshow and fireworks to kick off the Kentucky Derby Festival.
April 22 – 24, 2027
L&N Federal Credit Union Great Balloon Fest
Balloon Races and Balloon Glows fill the skies.
April 22 – 25, 2027
The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event
Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY
April 28, 2027
Shepherd Insurance Great Steamboat Race
The slowest race you will ever participate in, and perhaps the most fun!
April 30 – May 1, 2027
The 153rd Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks
Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
Where else would you be on the first Saturday in May?