Kentucky Derby Festival: Thunder Over Louisville

Every April since 1990, Louisville, Kentucky, has been host to a large fireworks show, named Thunder Over Louisville, that has become the official kickoff celebration of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Hundreds of thousands of people converge on Louisville three weeks before the running of the Kentucky Derby (traditionally the first Saturday in May) to attend Thunder.

Thunder Over Louisville has gradually evolved into a day-long event that culminates in the largest annual fireworks display in North America. Various sidestreets and one of Louisville's three bridges over the Ohio River are closed days before the event for preparations. Many of the show's spectacular fireworks are launched from boats on the river and from the Second Street (Clark Memorial) Bridge. The show is accompanied by a themed soundtrack; this year's theme is "Out of this World."

In the early years of Thunder Over Louisville, people who arrived early in the day to stake out a good spot to watch the show were left to entertain themselves while they waited. The sponsors of Thunder quickly realized that the event needed to grow, so they added vendors, displays, and games designed to keep crowds occupied. The biggest and most popular of these has been the Thunder Over Louisville Air Show. Various civilian and military aircraft entertain the crowd with performances and flybys for nearly seven hours leading up to the fireworks. Aerobatic teams, stunts, and skydiving groups are a big part of the air show.

If you attend Thunder Over Louisville, plan to arrive early and stay late. Attendance in past years has been measured at nearly 750,000 people in peak years. Don't bother trying to park close; be prepared for a walk. If you park as far away as you can comfortably walk, you will stand a much better chance of being able to get out in a timely manner after the show. Also, Louisville's bus line, TARC, offers continuous shuttle service to and from several locations around the city throughout the day. Free valet parking is offered for bicycles.