Venue
700 Central Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40208, United States
{{item.title}}
Kentucky Derby & Oaks guide
Oaks Friday, Derby Saturday at Churchill Downs.
In short
The Kentucky Derby is always the first Saturday in May, with the Oaks the day before, and Thunder Over Louisville opens the wider festival about two weeks earlier. The races last minutes but the occasion runs all day, with bourbon, hats and a social season around the track. It suits racing fans and dressy spectators; book early.
The Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks are the twin peaks of American flat racing, run on back-to-back days at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The Oaks is the great test for three-year-old fillies; the Derby, a day later, decides which three-year-old sets off on the road to the Triple Crown.
The racing lasts minutes, the occasion all day. Kentucky treats the weekend as a social season as much as a sporting one: bourbon in silver cups, hats that block the view of the person behind, a grandstand singing an old Stephen Foster song, and an infield crowd that comes for the party as much as the horses. For anyone who cares about thoroughbreds, or about American rituals, it is the one race meeting to see in person.
–/5
No reviews yet
Been to this event? Your review helps other travellers.
Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Louisville, United States
Venue: Churchill Downs
Held: Every year
Type of event: Sporting Events, Live Events, Cultural Events
Currency: US dollar (USD, $)
Time zone: Eastern Time (UTC-5, UTC-4 in summer)
Language: English (Spanish widely spoken)
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Dress codes in different areas of the track
The track encourages upscale dress on both days: hats for women, suits or dresses for everyone else. In the grandstand and dining rooms people take this seriously, with wide-brimmed hats, bright suits and seersucker. Pink is the colour for Oaks day. The infield is the exception: dress there is far more relaxed, and practical clothes make sense for a day on the grass.
- Choose a hat that stays on in wind and does not block the person behind you.
- Break in new shoes before the trip. You will walk a lot and stand even more.
Sun, rain and a long day at Churchill Downs
From the 9am gates to the last race is a long stretch, and most areas of the track are open to the sky. The meeting goes ahead rain or shine.
- Pack sunscreen and a light rain layer. Early May in Louisville can bring both on the same afternoon.
- Drink water between juleps. Bourbon in the sun catches people out by the time the Derby goes off.
- Bring binoculars. The one-mile oval is big, and the horses are tiny at the far turn.
- Carry a card or phone for payment. You will not need much cash once inside.
Where and how it is celebrated
The main cities where the festival is celebrated.
Churchill Downs
What happens on the day
- About two weeks before
Thunder Over Louisville
An airshow and fireworks open the Kentucky Derby Festival.
- Derby Week
Racing begins
Churchill Downs races for several days ahead of the Oaks.
- Race days, 9am
Gates open
In 2026 the first race went off at 11:00am.
- Between Races 9 and 10
Style Under the Spires
The fashion contest is judged on the red carpet.
- Friday, late card
Kentucky Oaks
A mile and an eighth for three-year-old fillies; the winner gets Star Gazer lilies.
- Saturday, about 6:57pm ET
Kentucky Derby
The field steps out to "My Old Kentucky Home" and the race is over in about two minutes.
Reserved seats, dining areas or the infield
Settle the seating question first. Churchill Downs sells every ticket through its own channels, and the reserved ones come as two-day packages, so the chair you sit in for the Derby is also yours for the Oaks. On both big days, frontside reserved seats include food and drinks, and they come with parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The 2027 packages first went on sale in spring 2026. The good sections are long gone by winter.
The infield is the budget route. General admission there starts around $100, it is first come, first served, and the mood is far more casual than the grandstand. Families get a break: on Oaks and Derby days, up to four children aged 12 and under enter the infield free with each paying adult, through the Infield Gate only.
Hotels fill early and charge peak rates, so lock in a room as soon as you have tickets. Staying near the airport makes sense, because the Exposition Center shuttle lots sit right beside it. Spread the trip over four or five nights if you can and use the weekdays for the city's own Derby festival events and the museum at the track.
The history of the Derby and the Oaks since 1875
Both races date from the track's first season. The Derby was first run on 17 May 1875, the Oaks two days later. They share a card and a crowd but not a distance: the Derby is a mile and a quarter for three-year-olds, the Oaks a mile and an eighth for three-year-old fillies. The Derby is also the first leg of the Triple Crown, ahead of the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
Each has its own flower. The Derby winner is draped in a garland of 554 red roses, hence the Run for the Roses. The Oaks winner gets Star Gazer lilies, and since 2008 Oaks day has turned pink to raise awareness of breast and ovarian cancer, with a Survivors Parade along the track. When the Derby field steps out, the University of Louisville band plays "My Old Kentucky Home" and most of the grandstand sings along, a tradition dating to 1921.
The 2026 Derby added a new chapter. Golden Tempo won at 23-1, and the winner's trainer, Cherie DeVaux, was the first woman ever to saddle a Derby winner. The mint julep, made with bourbon, remains the drink to hold while you watch.
Getting there
Flying in
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a short drive from Churchill Downs at 700 Central Avenue. There is no taxi or rideshare drop-off at the track.
Shuttle from the Exposition Center
Buses leave the Kentucky Exposition Center, next to the airport by I-65 and I-264, from 7:30am on Oaks and Derby days; frontside ticket holders ride free and enter through Gates 1 or 2.
Infield guests
Use L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Rideshare drops at the Bronze Lot; parking cost $40 in 2026. Walk from there along Central Avenue to the 4th Street gate.
Going home
Queues are worst straight after the Derby; waiting out the first rush costs little. For the rest of the trip see our United States guide.
Where to stay during the festival
The next date is 30 April 2027. Book your room as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Weather and what to pack
Late spring in Louisville can be warm or wet. The 1991–2020 normals give May an average high of 25.4 °C (77.8 °F) and a low of 14.8 °C (58.7 °F), with about 132 mm of rain; late April is cooler, at 20.9 °C by day.
A long day in the infield means hours in the sun or the rain, so dress for both.
Worth packing
- A clear bag for food (outside drinks are not allowed)
- A debit or bank card; concessions are cashless
- A rain layer or poncho
- Sun cream and a hat
- Shoes you can walk in from the stadium lots
Car hire in Louisville
Airport transfer to Kentucky Derby & Oaks
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Churchill Downs.
Restaurants and food in United States
Places to eat in United States before or after the celebrations.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States
Cuisine:SeafoodAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Bar
Alinea
1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Cuisine:ModernistAmerican
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
Franklin Barbecue
900 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702, United States
Cuisine:Texas barbecueAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Cuisine:CreoleNew Orleans
- Dine-in
Katz's Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, United States
Cuisine:Jewish deliAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Counter seating
Contribute:
Recently viewed events
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Kentucky Derby & Oaks. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Be the first to ask
Our team answers questions here
Explore United States
Other festivals around the same time
Festivals held in the same weeks, if you want to plan more than one.
21
Apr, 2027
Apr, 2027
Food Festivals, Musical Events, Cultural Events
New Orleans, United States
2 photos
30
Apr, 2027
Apr, 2027
Cultural Events, Folk Festival, Parade
Padstow, United Kingdom
1 photo
Explore United States
More events and festivals in United States
Festivals and events across United States, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
09
Jun, 2027
Jun, 2027
Musical Events, Carnivals, Social Festivals
Columbia, United States
11 photos
08
Jul, 2027
Jul, 2027
Carnivals, Social Festivals, Parade
Baltimore, United States
11 photos
Save time: create a trip and get offers from locals
Tell us where and when you want to go, and local travel experts send you offers for your trip.
1 Create a trip
2 Get offers from locals
3 Pick the one you like
Create a trip
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Prices & payment
No. Kentucky law does not allow wagers to be placed on a credit card at the track. Bring a debit card for the ATMs on site, or set up a betting account in advance.
No. Concessions across the track, the infield included, are cashless, so carry a card or a phone with mobile payment set up.
Stay & facilities
Only in limited form. Each guest is allowed one bag, and on Oaks and Derby days any food must be packed in clear plastic bags or containers, or in a one-gallon clear zip bag. Outside drinks are not permitted.
The track seats about 50,000 people on a normal race day. Opening the infield takes capacity to around 170,000. Besides the one-mile dirt main track there is a turf course of seven-eighths of a mile inside it.
General
Derby day crowds regularly top 150,000; 158,070 watched in 2017. The Oaks draws around 100,000 a year, which ranks it among the best-attended races in North America.
The Derby carries a purse of $5 million, of which $3.1 million goes to the winner. The Oaks is worth $1.5 million in total.
Not yet. Diane Crump became the first woman to ride in the race in 1970, and more women have ridden since, but none has won it. The 2026 race did produce the first winning woman trainer.
The official fashion contest on Derby and Oaks days. Finalists are picked from the crowd and contacted between Races 5 and 6, and the judging takes place on the red carpet a few races later.
The museum covers the race's history and how thoroughbreds are trained, and its 360-degree cinema shows a film about Derby day. It stands on the Churchill Downs grounds and is normally open all year.
Families & accessibility
No. Space is too tight for wheelchair rental or storage, so bring your own. The track says it will try to accommodate guests with disabilities; contact it before you buy tickets to discuss seating.
Get the bookingMentor app