LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Thunder Over Louisville, which had been postponed until Aug. 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will not be held in 2020.
The Kentucky Derby Festival canceled the annual fireworks and air show as well as the Pegasus Parade and the miniMarathon.
"Having closely monitored the developments surrounding COVID-19, and with an abundance of caution, Festival organizers have made the difficult decision not to produce their traditional large-scale events," KDF said in a news release Thursday.
We know the spirit of #KYDerbyFestival is strong year-round in our community, and we are going to get through this together. In the meantime, hang on to those Pegasus Pins for 2021! ❤️More Info: https://t.co/YP3df1mlgf pic.twitter.com/KvDkLj5AxN
— KY Derby Festival (@KyDerbyFestival) June 11, 2020
Thunder Over Louisville typically draws more than 700,000 attendees from across the country.
"As an organization that always puts public health and safety first, we know it would not be responsible for the Kentucky Derby Festival to put on events that attract crowds with not just hundreds, but hundreds of thousands of people," Matt Gibson, president and CEO of KDF, said in the release. "This has been a difficult and emotional decision for our staff and board, but we believe it is the best one based on these unprecedented circumstances."
WDRB was scheduled to broadcast the full day's events, an 11-hour broadcast with 32 High Definition cameras starting with the air show and ending with the ultimate fireworks finale. That same effort will be put toward the 2021 Thunder, which was already scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17.
KDF said officials are working on plans for smaller events this summer and fall "in the spirit of the Derby season." For example, there could be virtual marathons as well as a Tour de Lou cycling event.
"We look forward to the time when it’s safe for everyone to come together to celebrate our favorite Kentuckiana traditions," 2020 KDF Chair, Judy Hess said in the release. "Though we may be centered around the first weekend of May, we know the spirit of the Derby Festival is strong year-round in our community. We’re going to get through this together."
Darren Rogers, a member of Churchill Downs' communications department, said the racetrack is "finalizing our Derby Week plans with spectators" and will submit those plans to Gov. Andy Beshear's office soon.
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