City: Louisville, KY

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Description: Derby Festival time means getting together for good food and great music down by the river, and in the Derby City, no reservations are needed for the ultimate dining and socializing event. The Derby Festival Waterfront Chow Wagon features the best in cold beverages, the hottest live music daily, and carnival-style cuisine during the week leading up to the big races. Aside from funnel cakes, ice cream, fried candy bars, fresh lemonade, corn dogs, and sausages, there’s also pulled pork, roast chicken, brisket with Derby sauce, turkey legs, rib-eye sandwiches, Papa John’s pizza, strawberry shortcake, slushes, frozen daiquiris, and margaritas. Ethnic favorites like gyros, kebabs, Italian meatball subs, fajitas, and jerk chicken are also available. For entertainment, more than 30 live concerts—with local and regional performers and a wide variety of musical genres, including urban, Latino, country, and rock—are showcased on the Miller Lite Music Stage. The Chow Wagon is open nightly till 11 p.m., but on Derby Eve it stays open till 1 a.m.