My husband and I returned as volunteers, helping to check in the media for the celebrity red…read morecarpet. The gala supports Blessings in a Backpack along with several other nonprofits. If you're considering applying as a volunteer, some things to know: - Applications provide a summary of roles and shifts. Pick your top 3. - You must attend a mandatory training. There you will learn more about the gala, its supporters, guests and benefactors. You'll also learn your volunteer shift assignment. - Volunteers donate $75. This helps cover some costs, including your dinner and valet parking. - You can attend the gala before and after your shift. We enjoy the specialty bars, music, silent auction, karaoke, silent disco, and more. - A volunteer coordinator keeps in touch with you prior to the event and will be at check in. Check out their website and social media channels for additional details.

Loved a brand new experience at the Kentucky derby! I had a blast here with my friends and we all…read moregot the cup with the name of every horse who won each year. Some of them have pretty funny names too, haha I won a bet but I did not have a net positive financial gain! I spent a good amount on drinks and I have no regrets. Came here for the racing experience and I got a fantastic one!

Every year I make such AMAZING memories at the Derby with old friends and every year we at new…read morefriends. If its on your bucket list like everyone says then MAKE IT HAPPEN!

On my to-do list for next year: Go to the Boomtown Ball and Festival…read more And just as important: Get there early enough to enjoy the booths. I arrived at about 8 p.m. -- an hour before the headliner was set to take the stage. The sun was still out. But except for a handful of booths, everything else was already closed and torn down. And I had seen so many great shots on social media of makers and local shops that had set up at what is becoming a landmark fest for New Albany. I wish I could have made shopping a part of my Boomtown adventure. Some of the reasons the shopping hours should be extended: * Like I said, it was still sunny. No problems seeing the merch. * This event is only one day (so far). Asking vendors to stay open until the last concert shouldn't be too hard. * The in-between time, leading up to the last band, is a time when a large amount of guests are looking for a diversion -- a win for shopping. But Boomtown is definitely about more than shopping. And from what I saw, it excels in other areas: * The music was fantastic. From what I was told, local band Houndmouth and WFPK worked together to bring in the acts. * The final band was on time, which you don't see a lot. * Because this festival is still gaining steam, we were able to 1) find parking less than a block away and 2) get super close to the stage without having to push our way through a massive crowd. * This is such a great opportunity to explore beautiful downtown New Albany. * The police were so friendly! I'm looking forward to next year and spending all day in New Albany.

I loved this event! It had a stage with talented regional musicians, vendors from Flea off Market,…read moreand tons of great food from some of New Albany's best restaurants. The weather was even perfect. If you didn't make it to the 2015 Boomtown Ball and Festival then mark you calendar and go next year because this is a must attend event!

Another year and another 3 star review. Just like last year $90 for VIP and no swag bags…read more Basically just entrance into the museum and exclusive access to special pours. They also had the garden area closed off and there were tables and chairs out there. First time this year the garden area was closed. My friend and I have been coming here religiously since it began in 2021. It's always a good time no arguments there however, it seems to get smaller each year with not many local breweries in attendance. We are aware this festival is to benefit the museum. Just kinda wish they would put more effort into these type of things. There were quite a bit of big brand names there. We usually walk away with quite a big of swag but, there wasn't much of it this year as well. They had the marching band and a different band this year, they didn't perform on the balcony like the others had in years past, they performed on the street where the festival took place. We got our glasses and lanyards so they can mark our cards for the pours. Glad they actually put in effort for a new glass design. There were 2 bourbon pours exclusively for VIP. Peerless Distillery had to be our favorite. We went back a few times for the bourbon punch before they ran out. We did get to walk around in the museum and luckily had shelter in there from the rain. We actually had a great time as always, just wish they would put in more effort when it comes to VIP and bringing in more local breweries. Until Next Year Summer Beer fest.

The Bourbon Women Sip-osium Conference was amazing! I didn't have a chance to partake in all of the…read moreevents throughout the weekend, but I still loved it. Bourbon Women is a group for ladies who love bourbon and want to learn more about it. Attending a Bourbon Women event is all about exploring bourbon and the culture that surrounds it, all while bringing women of all age groups together to share in their love of bourbon. And this event was a perfect example of exactly what Bourbon Women stands for. The event was held at the Brown Hotel and included receptions, bourbon workshops, distillery excursions, and more. On Friday I attended the "Bourbon & Bites" meet and greet reception, and it was great! There was delicious food from the Brown Hotel, a Michter's Distillery tasting, a Kentucky Peerless Distilling tasting (with a complimentary glass!), and an amazing cocktail from Four Roses. The following day I lead a walking tour from the hotel to Art Eatables and the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse, and it was fantastic! We had a chance to sample delicious chocolates from Art Eatables, create a custom cocktail at Jim Beam, and then learn about the entire Jim Beam family and have a bourbon tasting, including Baker's and Knob Creek. The event was awesome and I hope to have a chance to attend again in the future. If you're considering a Bourbon Women membership, or attending any of their events, I highly recommend it!

Year after year, St. James continues to be a Louisville institution that lives up to the hype!…read more We attended most recently with the entire fam, and despite the big crowds, it was a great event to bring them to. After 15-20 minutes of driving around, we found free street parking on a side street. And we found several booths to look in. Our son even found one booth with art that caught his eye, and we ended up buying two prints that we plan to frame and hang. Along with the art, I love all of the community groups that have booths and local food options. And when our kids wanted to run a bit -- up to that point they had been taking eveything in from a cart -- we went to the playground behind the Old Louisville Visitors Centers. Wiggles managed! Having Central Park nearby also offers such a beautiful spot to relax. I stand by my tips in my previous review, and wanted to write an update to commend this large event on being consistently great year after year. We will definitely be back!

I've not missed an art show in over a decade. Any time I have, the fall didn't start off quite…read moreright. My favorite day to visit is Friday and I prefer to get there at the start of the morning. We need minimum 4 hours, maybe 6 to move slower to visit all the areas. Parking can be tricky; however, there's several options to support community schools and churches to pay by car. The fountain area is a favorite picture spot, but my favorite areas are the smaller streets. Several of the repeat artists have become my favorite and where I purchase reproductions of their original artwork. I also find my favorite noodles mixed with veggies and soy sauce, close to shared picnic tables. Visitor tips: wear comfy clothes and shoes, bring an easy to hold bag to stuff your purchases, stash water bottles to start your day - it can be tough to find it later at the show and expensive, wear sunscreen, get a babysitter when you can, take breaks to rest your feet and stretch your back, and bring your out of town friends. Thank you to the volunteers that keep this show running smoothly! I hope every artist has a great experience in Louisville.

Excellent little festival, a couple food and drink options, but the best aspect is the performers…read more I've been a few times to the festival and feel I can review it now. This event has a long history and plenty of die-hard, enthusiastic supporters. I think there is area for improvement. In my experience the crowd tends to be somewhat light but excited. And the food and alcohol vendors aren't plentiful. At times I've found logistics and planning to be a bit dysfunctional. And there is slim to no security or containment of the area. Parking tends to be a little difficult (the last years the event had been held at the main library branch on York St, which means you'll be parking on the street most likely). It's possible the festival has seen better days. As I write this, though, I recall that GonzoFest partnered this year with Speed Art Museum and Frazier History Museum on Hunter S. Thompson Art exhibits, so the organizers no doubt are working to continue giving Thompson fans plenty of entertainment outside of the festival. Despite some of the misgivings stated above, I continue to go every year for the past few years because of the entertainers, performers, panelists, artists and speakers who are ultimately the lifeblood and primary draw of the festival. In the spirit of Thompson, the organizers continue to invite guests who delight, surprise, challenge and move you when you're in their presence and experiencing their art. Previous years have seen the likes of: Ron Whitehead, Matt Taibbi, Zu Zu Ya Ya, journalist Michael Lindenberger, director Phillip Rodriguez & actress Gaba Gavi, Juan Thompson, Anemic Royalty, Brandon "B. Shatter" Harrison, Hannah Drake, Nellie Pearl, Otis Junior, Brooks Ritter, Frederick the Younger, Dr. Dundiff, Quiet Hollers, 1200, Small Time Napoleon, Squallis Puppeteers, and many many more. I recommend the festival to Louisville natives who will appreciate an event that truly honors the legend and dynamism of Hunter S. Thompson. And to non-natives, enter at your own peril. Louisville is a lot more than shiny spires and expensive bourbon -- the city also has a raw, expressive, eclectic, bombastic, envelope-pushing side as well, that Thompson exemplified so perfectly. Be ready for an experience you won't expect nor regret.

The weather was absolutely perfect this year for the 5th year of Gonzofest. I was so happy that…read morethe event was on the Big Four Lawn. We were there early so the crowd was still a bit sparse, but that's great to me because there was only one beer vendor. It was a pleasure seeing Ron Whitehead and the Mayor on stage officially renaming Louisville Hunter's Gonzoville. The aerial acrobatics were fun to watch and the bands as well.

I had a great time at the KPF Pride Parade and Festival this year. The parade runs on Main Street…read more Local businesses and organizations parade on foot, in cars and on amazing floats. Marching bands, acrobats, drag queens and regular folks in festive attire celebrating everyone being who they are create an atmosphere of joy. At the festival, there is lots of great entertainment... Local and touring music acts, drag shows, choirs.. something for everyone. I will say, be judicious about bringing children to the festival... with the freedom of expression that Pride provides, there are some people who enjoy dressing in a provocative way. Afternoon is probably a better time if you plan on bringing the kids, but it's important to know that you are coming into a space of freedom of expression and consider that when bringing children. With it being at waterfront Park this year, the layout was so spread out. It was a little rough for me in the heat to get from the stage to the bathrooms to the food area and back to somewhere where I could set up my chair. It was a long walk between each of those things. I love all the merch booths and info booths from businesses and organizations. I bought a really cool hat. Lots of good choices of food and drink and I absolutely loved the live music. I hope the KPF festival will continue for many years to come.

For the first time in a very long time, I got to go to the Kentuckiana Pride Festival. And what I…read moreexperienced: a festival filled with love, caring and acceptance. Really, it's such a beautiful time that more people should experience, especially during these tumultuous times. I was particularly blown away by all of the great vendors. These included LGBTQ-owned and allied businesses and nonprofits. The Free Mom Hugs booth made me tear up a bit. The mom who was running it gave me a token to pass along to someone who needs a little love and acceptance. I also bought a fun T-shirt from one group and took the time to learn about some other great local orgs, like Actors Theatre. The festival had a great selection of food, and the performances kept rolling and had the crowd dancing and having a great time. In years past, I've also attended even marched in the Pride parade -- another great experience not to be missed. The entire vibe of the Pride Festival is something to cherish!