The 152nd Kentucky Derby

The 152nd Kentucky Derby — Week Schedule

1. April 18, 2026 · Thunder Over Louisville
   The Kentucky Derby Festival opens with its air show and fireworks over the Ohio River.
2. April 25, 2026 · Derby Week Opening Day
   Racing’s Derby Week begins at Churchill Downs, with the Oaks and Derby post-position draws.
3. April 30, 2026 · Thurby
   The Thursday of Derby Week — a locals-favored celebration of Kentucky heritage.
4. May 1, 2026 · Kentucky Oaks
   The Grade I race for three-year-old fillies, run the day before the Derby.
5. May 2, 2026 · 152nd Kentucky Derby
   Gates open at 9 a.m.; the Derby runs as race 12 of the day.

The 152nd Kentucky Derby Weekend Planning Blueprint

Derby Week rewards planning more than almost any event in this guide.

1. Decide your race-day experience first. Reserved seats mostly sell as two-day Oaks-and-Derby packages with food and drink included; infield general admission is the entry-level ticket with no track-level view. Pick your lane first.
2. Buy through the official channel. Churchill Downs sells general admission and reserved seating via Ticketmaster — start at kentuckyderby.com rather than guessing on resale.
3. Book a downtown hotel early. Derby-week rooms at the city’s landmark hotels go fast and command premium rates — lock lodging well ahead.
4. Treat it as a Derby Week trip. Arrive in time for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, and consider Thurby — the days before the Derby are cheaper, calmer and part of the tradition.
5. Plan your bourbon and dinner stops in advance. Derby-week tables fill up; reserve early and use the downtown bourbon bars for the nights in between.

Who This Event Fits Best

The Derby pulls very different kinds of fans, and Derby Week has room for all of them.

• The bucket-list racing fan. You have watched the Run for the Roses on television your whole life and want to stand under the Twin Spires for it once.
• The tradition-and-style crowd. You are here for the hats, the mint juleps, the garland of roses and the pageantry. The Derby is one of the last great dress-up events in American sport.
• The bourbon traveler. Louisville is a bourbon city and Derby Week is its biggest week. Between race days you can work the Urban Bourbon Trail through downtown.
• The infield party-goer. You do not need a clubhouse seat — you want the cheapest way in and the biggest crowd. Infield general admission is exactly that trip.
• Maybe sit this one out if… you want a quiet, low-cost city break. Derby Week is the most expensive, most crowded week of Louisville’s year.

Official Links & Tickets

Official The 152nd Kentucky Derby site
Reserved seating and general admission are sold by Churchill Downs via Ticketmaster; most reserved seats go as two-day packages covering Friday’s Kentucky Oaks and Saturday’s Derby, while infield general admission is the entry-level ticket.