Kentucky Derby 2027
Churchill Downs, Louisville. The 153rd running, Saturday 1 May 2027, with the Oaks the day before
Kentucky Derby in numbers
First run on 17 May 1875. The organiser calls it the longest continually held sporting event in America.
Kentucky Derby: about and historyFor three-year-old Thoroughbreds. The race was shortened from one and a half miles in 1896.
Kentucky Derby: about and historySet at the 141st Kentucky Derby in 2015, the highest attended Derby on the organiser's own record.
Kentucky Derby: about and historyThe all-time Derby Day handle record, set at the 150th running in 2024, including $210.7 million bet on the race itself. Nearly 157,000 attended.
Kentucky Derby: the record-breaking 150thWhat is the Kentucky Derby?
The Kentucky Derby is the race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run over one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first Saturday in May. The 153rd running is on Saturday 1 May 2027, with the Kentucky Oaks the day before. First run in 1875, it is the longest continually held sporting event in America, and it is in this directory because Derby weekend has become one of the largest social occasions in American sport.
Who goes to the Kentucky Derby?
Crowds of more than 150,000: Infield general-admission racegoers, reserved-seat crowds in the grandstands, owners, trainers and breeders, and a large hospitality and celebrity contingent in the premium areas. The 150th running in 2024 drew nearly 157,000, and the record, 175,513, was set in 2015.
Kentucky Derby tickets and prices
Tickets are sold through the official Kentucky Derby site via Ticketmaster, and by phone, and the organiser says the only authorised place to buy and resell Derby and Oaks tickets is the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange. Early-release tickets for 2027 went on sale online on 4 June 2026. Options run from first-come, first-served Infield general admission to reserved seating and hospitality; the organiser says pricing varies by experience, and none is quoted here.
What to know before booking the Kentucky Derby
The race itself lasts about two minutes, which is where its trademarked nickname comes from, so Derby Day is a long programme of racing and atmosphere built around a very short main event. The Kentucky Oaks is run the day before, on Friday 30 April 2027, and is sold as its own ticket. Buy only through the official channels: resale outside the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange is not authorised.
Kentucky Derby parties and side events
Louisville's Derby week runs well beyond the track, with galas, charity events and private parties across the city in the days before the race, each ticketed or invitation-only through its own host. Grand Circle organises none of it and sells no tickets or hospitality for the Kentucky Derby.
How to get to Churchill Downs
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is the nearest airport and sits close to Churchill Downs, south of downtown Louisville. Traffic and parking around the track are heavily affected on Derby weekend, so plan the final stretch of the journey well in advance.
Where to stay for the Kentucky Derby
Downtown Louisville has the largest concentration of hotels, and they carry a significant premium and sell out early for Derby weekend. Many visitors stay further out, including across the Ohio River in southern Indiana, or book private rentals well ahead.
Kentucky Derby: frequently asked questions
When is the Kentucky Derby 2027?
Saturday 1 May 2027 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the 153rd running of the race. The Kentucky Oaks is run the day before, on Friday 30 April 2027. Both dates are published on the official Kentucky Derby site, where tickets for each are sold.
Kentucky Derby: 2027 ticketsHow do you buy Kentucky Derby tickets?
Through the official Kentucky Derby site, which sells via Ticketmaster, or by phone. Early-release 2027 tickets went on sale online on 4 June 2026. The organiser says the only authorised place to buy and resell Derby and Oaks tickets is the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange.
Kentucky Derby: 2027 ticketsHow much are Kentucky Derby tickets?
No prices are quoted here. The organiser says pricing varies by seating experience, from Infield general admission to reserved seats and premium hospitality, and no tariff was confirmed against an official page for this entry. Check the official 2027 ticket page for current availability and prices.
Kentucky Derby: 2027 ticketsHow long is the Kentucky Derby?
The race is run over one and a quarter miles by three-year-old Thoroughbreds and lasts about two minutes, which is where the organiser's trademarked nickname, the Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports, comes from. It was originally one and a half miles, shortened in 1896.
Kentucky Derby: about and historyHow many people attend the Kentucky Derby?
The record is 175,513, set at the 141st Kentucky Derby in 2015. For the 150th running in 2024 the organiser reported a crowd of nearly 157,000, alongside an all-time Derby Day betting handle of $320.5 million, of which $210.7 million was bet on the Derby itself.
Kentucky Derby: the record-breaking 150thWhy is it called the Run for the Roses?
Because of the garland the winner receives: more than 400 red roses sewn into a green satin backing, with the Commonwealth's seal at one end and the Twin Spires and the race's number at the other. The nickname was coined by the sportswriter Bill Corum in 1925.
Kentucky Derby: about and historyWho organises the Kentucky Derby?
Churchill Downs, which has staged the race at its Louisville track since the first Kentucky Derby on 17 May 1875, making it the longest continually held sporting event in America. Grand Circle has no role in the Derby and sells no tickets or hospitality for it.
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Grand Circle does not organise Kentucky Derby 2027 and sells no tickets or hospitality for it. It is run by Churchill Downs. Dates and prices are set by the organiser and change without notice. This entry was last checked against its sources on 2026-10-06. If something here is wrong, tell us and it gets fixed rather than aged.