In 1962 Tom "Cactus" Brooks received the first Kentucky Derby Festival Silver Horseshoe Award, "given to a person who had made a difference in the community and in youth development".

The Royal Court consists of a group of five young women chosen to preside over events related to the Kentucky Derby.

Criteria for the selection of the court members includes knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality, academic excellence and campus/community involvement.

Thunder kicks off with a day-long air show and one of the largest fireworks displays in North America.

[11] NBC Today Show weatherman Willard Scott was the host of WAVE TV's broadcast coverage of the Pegasus Parade from 1982 through 2005.

[17] That same Saturday is typically also when the Great Balloon Race is held,[18] the culmination of the hot air balloon-themed BalloonFest.

Cruising consists of motorcycles and cars (many elaborately modified) driving slowly down Broadway, pedestrians crowding the sidewalks, and several blocks closed for a festival with rides and street vendors.

[26] In 2007, police announced similar plans, although slightly more of Broadway was to remain open, including access to Shawnee Park.

A federal judge allowed the plans to proceed, citing concerns about "public safety and the free flow of traffic".

[27] Police reported that arrests were down from 2007, although they did shut down a 10-block portion of Broadway for a short time on Derby evening after gridlock developed.