In a downtown ceremony on Thursday morning, featuring Mayor Greg Fischer and other city officials and business community leaders, the Louisville Breeders’ Cup Festival officially announced their lineup of events for Breeders’ Cup week.
Fischer
The Festival is a week-long community-wide celebration of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs, November 2-3 and it features enjoyable events and activities for residents and visitors alike. In conjunction with this announcement, the Festival also launched its official website, which includes a comprehensive listing of all Festival activities.
“Louisville is thrilled to welcome the Breeders’ Cup and all the fans enjoying the community-wide festival accompanying this premier sporting event,” said Fischer. “We’re excited to showcase our city’s transformation, including all the new hotels, restaurants and bourbon tourism destinations, since we last hosted the Breeders Cup in 2011.”
Since 2015, the Breeders’ Cup Festival has provided activities for local consumers and international horse racing fans to enjoy the special nature of the host city. Organized by the Louisville Host Committee, the Festival is a large factor in the $95 Million in local economic impact that is generated by the Breeders’ Cup, which will be held at Churchill Downs for the ninth time.
Fans can view the Breeders’ Cup Festival events, taking place from Oct. 28-Nov. 10, and purchase tickets for selected activities at www.breederscupfestival.com.
“Louisville has a long tradition of being one of the most hospitable communities in the world and this November, partly because of the partnerships and events created by the Louisville Breeders’ Cup Festival, we’ll be ready to roll out the “purple carpet” and celebrate this terrific international event,” said Karen Williams, President and CEO of Louisville Tourism.
Among the many attractions in store is Equestricon, which kicks off the Festival on Oct. 29 at the newly-renovated Kentucky International Convention Center.
This two-day conclave is a premiere horse racing lifestyle event designed to celebrate the sport of racing with its fans. It’s an international horse racing convention, fan festival, and trade show all rolled into one. It will bring fans, stakeholders, industry insiders and horseplayers together to participate in a lively atmosphere of engagement, discussion, and entertainment devoted to all aspects of the Thoroughbred experience.
Check out the exclusive Equestricon Insider Pass on the Festival website.
The Breeders’ Cup Festival is also pleased to announce a partnership with Topgolf Crush. Oct. 31 through Nov. 10, Topgolf is bringing its iconic experience to Cardinal Stadium for a truly special event.
Topgolf Crush Louisville presented by PNC Bank will light up the night with massive glowing targets on the field and use their Toptracer technology to track and score every single shot.
If you’ve never experienced Topgolf, this is will be a fabulous introduction. It will be a lively atmosphere with food, music and fierce (but friendly) competition. This is most certainly an event that golfers and non-golfers alike will enjoy.
“The 2018 Louisville Breeders’ Cup Festival is thrilled to add Topgolf Crush to the diverse lineup of festivalevents for the Breeders’ Cup’s return to Louisville,” said Tara Guenthner, the Breeders’ Cup Festival’s Executive Director. “Topgolf has built an incredible reputation for its wide appeal to all ages and skill levels, and we’re looking forward to delivering a memorable experience for horseracing enthusiasts, Cards’ fans and the greater Louisville community.”
In addition to these two anchor events, the Festival will welcome the Spazmatics and Burning Las Vegas to the stage at Fourth Street Live, Friday and Saturday night of Breeders’ Cup Week. A Thursday evening concert at Fourth Street Live is also being arranged.
Lukas
The Festival will host a photo contest for area middle school and high school students, called Hoof Prints, and a Breeders’ Cup Pastry Challenge for the Baking, Pastry and Culinary Students at Sullivan University.
Honoring one of the most successful trainers in Breeders’ Cup history, D. Wayne Lukas will be presented with the Breeders’ Cup Sports & Racing Excellence Award, and the Kentucky Derby Museum will unveil their soon-to-be newly completed renovations at a Grand Re-Opening party on October 31.
The Festival launch announcement was held at the Marriott Louisville Downtown, which is the official Fan Hotel of the 2018 Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Many festival events are free to the public. Other events are ticketed. Fans are encouraged visit the Festival website often, as additional events will be added as it gets closer to Breeders’ Cup Week.
Louisville Breeders’ Cup Festival
