September is filled to the brim with celebrations! Derby City has something for everyone this month from art fairs to music to tasty drinks. There’s no shortage of happenings for you to enjoy solo or with family before the cooler weather gusts in.
Start your Labor Day weekend off with a four-day celebration of international culture at the 22nd annual WorldFest. This festival features international and local performers, over 150 vendors, and a global village showcasing customs worldwide. Be sure to put on your comfy walking shoes for a day of fun at the Belvedere. After indulging in the global festivities, head over to the German American Club’s Oktoberfest on the 6th and 7th for wunderbar beir, brats, and the River City Polkatz band. The snack bar opens at 4pm and River City Polkatz gets polka’ing at 6pm.
The Big Four Arts Festival on the weekend of September 9-10 is the most attended two-day event held at Waterfront Park. Tickets are $5 to stroll along the beautifully shaded walkway viewing works from more than 150 juried fine artists, craftsmen, and jewelers. There will be no shortage of festival food, and easy street parking welcomes you all weekend. Ticket sales go to support Bridgehaven Mental Health Services.
After marveling at works of art, it’s time to fill all your music-loving senses with the much-anticipated Bourbon and Beyond. More than 100 artists like My Morning Jacket, Sting, and Melissa Ethridge are ready to grace the festival grounds the weekend of the 19th-22nd. Choose from weekend and/or day passes that fit your musical tastes while you pair your favorite bourbon along with it. If you’d like even more music, the Louder than Life Festival is turning their “volume up to 11” the weekend of September 26-29. The Highland Festival Grounds will be rocking out with hard rock and heavy metal bands like Motley Crue, Evanescence, and Disturbed. Get your weekend or day passes online.
The end of the month brings more fun events like Downs After Dark, Nulu Fest, and the Paristown Art Festival. Churchill Downs welcomes you to an evening of racing on September 28 with a post time of 6pm. Enjoy polka dancing and sample local brews while you pick your favorite horse to win, place, or show! Then end your summer with an “old fashioned block party” at NuLu Fest on the 23rd and buy some new artwork at the Paristown Art Festival on the 29th-30th. Enjoy all the outdoor events September offers before the cool temperatures take over!
By Tonilyn Hornung
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