Kentucky Derby Party Ideas

The Kentucky Derby has been held annually at Churchill Downs since 1875. Traditionally, the race is held every year on the first Saturday in May. In 2012, the 138th running of this classic race will be held on May 5th. The Derby is the longest continually run sporting event in the United States, and has often been dubbed "the most exciting two minutes in sports."

What does all of this mean for you and me? Well, it's a great reason to gather friends and throw a party! Read on to find some inspiration for your invitations, decorations, race day party activities, and some traditional Kentucky Derby recipes.

Kentucky Derby Party Invitations

Make your guests feel special before your party even starts by sending great invitations. Here are some Kentucky Derby party invitations available for purchase from Amazon:

You could also make your own invitations. Some ideas include making Derby invitations in the shape of a trophy, a horseshoe, or an event ticket. Click here for a link to some free printable Kentucky Derby party invitations available from Hoover Web Design.

**General Invitation Tips** -- If you choose to make your own invitations, don't forget to include the date, location, and time of your party. It is also helpful to put the host's name, RSVP by date, and either your phone number or email.

Since this is a Kentucky Derby party, you might consider asking the ladies to wear their fanciest hats. You should also plan on starting your Derby party 2-3 hours before the actual race so that people can mingle, get a bite to eat, and make their bets on who the winner will be!

Kentucky Derby Party Ideas for Decorations

There are lots of fun ways to decorate for a Kentucky Derby theme party. Decorations for a Derby party can be any colors that you choose, so you might start by finding a few fun decorating props and choosing the color of your balloons, streamers, and tableware to coordinate. Here are some more great Kentucky Derby party ideas to get you started:

Hats and More Hats! -- Visitors to the Kentucky Derby are famous for their sense of fashion, most notably big, fancy ladies' hats. You might suggest your party guests come dressed for the day, and use some fancy hats as fun table centerpieces.

The Run for the Roses -- After the race in 1883 a New York City socialite handed out roses to all of the ladies present. Not long after this, red roses became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby. Today, the Derby is also known as "The Run for the Roses," and large blankets of these flowers are draped over the winning horse. Incorporating roses into your Kentucky Derby party decoration is a great way to honor this tradition. Consider using small bouquets of roses on your tables, arranging red roses in elegant silver vases, or even handing out roses to your guests during the party.

Make a Racehorse Centerpiece -- For a fun party centerpiece, tie a red ribbon to a model horse. For extra punch, you could surround this with roses, or add a colorful balloon bouquet. Horseshoes make a fun balloon weight for a Kentucky Derby theme party. You can often get free used horseshoes at a local barn or inexpensively at a farm store.

Set up a Hay Bale and Tack Photo Area -- Set up a few hay bales and accent them with horse tack, if you have any, or items such as trophies, roses, a jockey helmet, and riding crop. This makes both a great party decoration and also a place where you can take pictures of your party guests to use as souvenirs or mementos of the day.

Here are some great Kentucky Derby party ideas for decorations and supplies available from our friends at Amazon.com.

Play a Racing Movie -- What better way to get the crowd in the mood for your party than by showing a movie such as Secretariat, Seabiscuit or Phar Lap in the background of your event.

Bluegrass Music -- Make a great Kentucky bluegrass playlist for your party to get that southern feeling flowing. Be sure to also include Dan Fogelberg's hit, "Run for the Roses", and the classic, "My Old Kentucky Home".

Kentucky Derby Party Ideas for Activities

Play Horseshoes -- This game is played to 21 points. Set up your stakes at opposite ends of your game area. Divide players into two even teams, and give each team two horseshoes. Flip a coin to decide which team will pitch first. Have the first player from the first team pitch both horseshoes (one at a time) from anywhere behind the foul line. Let the first player from the opposing team do the same, pitching toward the same stake. Award 1 point for a shoe within 6 inches of the stake, or for a shoe touching the stake (often called a "leaner"); a shoe encircling the stake (a "ringer") earns 3 points. Often, amateurs choose to award 2 points for leaners. Let the next two players (one from each team) pitch the shoes from the opposite side of the court back toward your side. Add their points to the first scores until one team reaches 21.

Out of the Hat Betting Game -- Write down all the names of the horses on pieces of paper. You can find a list of horses in the race at www.kentuckyderby.info. Feel free to add stats and information for each horse. Put the pieces of folder paper in a fun top hat or fancy Derby day hat and mix them up. Get everyone to make a "bet" by paying $1 and have them pull a name out of the hat. Watch the race. When the race is complete, the person that has the winning horse collects the pot. You can also offer a percentage of the pot for the first-place horse, a smaller percentage to the second-place horse, and an even smaller percentage to the third-place horse.

Horse Race Betting Pool -- Prepare and hand out race stats and horse information to each of your guests and take their wagers. Create a poster board with a large block for each horse in the race. Have everyone at the party buy a horse's block and have them write their name on it. They can do this for one or more horses and they can also enter their name under a horse more than once. Guests can also put their names in the same horse's blocks. At the end of the race, take all of the money divided by the number of bets on the winning horse and distribute that percentage of the pot to each person who chose the winning horse.

Kentucky Derby Party Ideas for Food and Drinks

As with dress and decor, tradition plays a large role in Kentucky Derby recipes. Southern flavors and plenty of bourbon are the name of the game, and there are some particular foods and drinks that are especially associated with Derby time. Here are some of the most well-known Kentucky Derby recipes:

FOOD:

Kentucky Hot Brown recipe (an open faced turkey and gravy sandwich)
Burgoo recipe (a Southern stew)
Benedictine recipe (a cucumber dip)
Derby Pie recipe (chocolate chips and pecans -- yummy!)
Bourbon Balls (chocolate chips, pecans, and bourbon)

DRINKS:

Mint Julep recipe
Royal Stretch recipe
Bourbon
Sweet Tea

Kentucky Derby Party Favors

* A Red Rose
* A plastic Jockey Helmet
* Commemorative Glass Kentucky Derby Cups
* Photos from your Party

Hope you found some helpful party ideas on this page. For more great information about the Kentucky Derby, visit www.kentuckyderby.info. Hope your celebration is a day at the races!

If you enjoyed these Kentucky Derby party ideas, you might also enjoy these parties:

Horse Party

Cocktail Party

Garden Party