Spring and Summer
Hillbilly Days
Pikeville
Third weekend in April
Groups can walk past participants wearing wild outfits with overalls, coonskin hats and other traditional rural attire during Pikeville’s Hillbilly Days. For three days, the town throws a huge party that draws over 100,000 people to raise funds for the Shriners Hospital in Lexington.
Mountain music, clogging and square dancing create a festive atmosphere while guests peruse more than 300 street vendors selling food, arts and crafts. The 1977 festival offers several events, including a corn hole tournament, a quilt show, a parade and a fireworks display.
American Quilter’s Society Quilt Week
Paducah
Last weekend in April
Professional-caliber quilts with bold colors and depth of field hang on display during the American Quilter’s Society Quilt Week. For one week, 30,000 international and domestic quilters come together for a shared love of the art of quilting with exhibits, special events and around 400 vendors.
Groups interested in learning quilting techniques or ideas can attend one of the festival’s many classes and lectures.
Kentucky Derby Festival
Louisville
Two weeks before the first weekend in May
Guests can cheer on a racehorse while dressed in their most elegant apparel at the famous Kentucky Derby. Known as “the most exciting two minutes in sports,” the race ends a two-week celebration that kicks off with Thunder Over Louisville.
The largest annual pyrotechnics display in North America, Thunder Over Louisville attracts an estimated half a million people as the largest annual event in the region. The festival also includes approximately 70 other events, such as an air show, live bed racing and the Pegasus Parade.
International Bar-B-Q Festival
Owensboro
Second weekend in May
The heavenly aroma of sizzling chicken and pork in barbecue sauce keeps groups coming back to the International Bar-B-Q Festival in Owensboro. The weekend festival raises funds for various charities while serving award-winning secret barbecue and burgoo recipes.
Groups attending the 1979 festival can sample a wide range of barbecue styles during the more exclusive Mutton Glutton BBQ Fest VIP Party or the larger Backyard Cook-Off. Music from regional talent, a car show, a pie-eating contest and other smaller events ensure that attendees have something to do while digesting.
Great American Brass Band Festival
Danville
Early June
Trombones, trumpets and tubas ring out for three days straight at the Great American Brass Band Festival. Brass band musicians from around the world attend the music festival, along with 40,000 attendees.
The open-air festival starts with an old-fashioned Chautauqua tea gathering, which became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Groups can also watch the festival’s balloon race, parade and fireworks while listening to brass bands playing patriotic tunes and favorite popular standards.
