Top 10 Festivals In Lexington, Kentucky

festivals in lexington ky
Demos
Demos 
Updated
| 4 min read

Lexington, in the state of Kentucky, USA, is renowned for many things apart from its clean and picturesque downtown district. These include its high concentration of educated inhabitants, equestrian events, and exciting festivals. We’ll focus more on the latter since they’ll be of interest to many travelers to this area. Music lovers can look forward to the Tahlsound Music Festival, bargain hunters will have a blast at Chevy Chase Street Fair, and taco fans won’t want to miss out on Crave Taco Week. Check out our comprehensive list of festivals in Lexington, Kentucky, and plan your upcoming trip to the USA accordingly.

1. Fayette Fest [Last event in 2019]

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

If you love horses and especially horse racing, then you shouldn’t miss out on Fayette Fest. This family-friendly event takes place at the Red Mile, which is one of the oldest horse racing tracks in the world, and features an oval race track with a clay surface. Furthermore, there’s a beer garden, food trucks, live music events, and attractions for the kids at the venue. There’s also a marketplace with vendors selling many interesting items, so bring some extra cash along as you don’t know what you’ll find here.

Fayette Fest

Address: 1200 Red Mile Rd, Lexington, KY 40504, USA

Website: Fayette Fest

Takes place: September

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2. Lexington Pride Festival

Lexington Pride Festival
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user FloNight used under CC BY-SA 4.0

The Lexington Pride Festival caters to both the local and out-of-state LGBT+ community. The festival allows this diverse community to come together and celebrate in an accepting and safe environment. And, it’s been growing in popularity every year, drawing bigger crowds and more booths, making for a very fun and vibrant event. The organizers go out of their way to provide attendees with an exciting daily schedule to keep things fresh and interesting. So, you can expect beauty pageants, dance performances, deejays, drag shows, and slam poetry, to name a few.

Lexington Pride Festival

Address: 120 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY 40507, USA

Website: Lexington Pride Festival

Takes place: June

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3. Tahlsound Music Festival

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Music junkies have much to look forward to at this electrifying event. The Thalsound Music Festival is yet another family-friendly festival that exposes attendees to a variety of interesting bands. It’s a two-day event that takes place over the weekend, and the organizers allow for re-admittance as long as attendees wear their wrist bands. Since this is an outdoor festival, air lounges, backpacks, blankets, cameras, folding chairs, sealed plastic water bottles, sunscreen, insect repellant, and umbrellas are allowed at the venue.

Tahlsound Music Festival

Address: The Oleika Great Lawn, 302 Southland Dr, Lexington, KY 40503, USA

Website: Tahlsound Music Festival

Takes place: Usually held in September

Price: 15 - 20 USD

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4. Kentucky Three Day Event

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Kentucky is a great place for equestrians and horse riding enthusiasts. Not only does it boast the Fayette Fest, but also the Kentucky Three Day Event. The latter is a more formal event that takes place at the Rolex Stadium. Here, attendees can watch the many cross-country and show jumping competitions, and even do a bit of glamping at the upcoming 2020 event. There are also single-day and multi-day packages for single adults through to large families or groups available.

Kentucky Three Day Event

Address: 4089 Iron Works Pkwy, Lexington, KY, USA

Website: Kentucky Three Day Event

Takes place: April

Price: 19 - 1,550 USD

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5. Crave Food + Music Festival

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

If you love good food, great music, and a cozy environment, then head over to Crave Food + Music Festival if you’re in Kentucky during August. What you’ll find here are car shows, cooking competitions, food trucks, kids’ activities, and live bands, so there will never be a dull moment. Several notable food vendors include Athenian Grill, Edley’s BBQ, Hippie Dips, LaRosa’s, Pasta Garage, Ranada’s Bistro and Bar, and Texas da Brazil, to name a few. There’s even a mobile art studio that teaches kids how to paint signs that promote street safety.

Crave Food + Music Festival

Address: Bluegrass Fairgrounds at Masterson Station Park, 3051 Leestown Rd, Lexington, KY 40511, USA

Website: Crave Food + Music Festival

Takes place: Usually held in August

Price: 8 - 12 USD

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6. Picnic with the Pops

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

If you’re craving some good music and an unforgettable night out, then don’t miss Picnic with the Pops. You’ll be mesmerized by the emotive and rich sounds created by the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. And, if you’re intimidated by classical music, don’t be, as the organizers go out of their way to create an inviting environment, especially to newcomers and kids. Make sure to book your dinner table at the Boone Center or any of the nearby restaurants such as BurgerFi, Bourbon & Toulouse, or Pazzo’s Pizza Pub.

Picnic with the Pops

Address: Keeneland, 4201 Versailles Rd, Lexington, KY 40510, USA

Website: Picnic with the Pops

Takes place: August

Price: 15 - 400 USD

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7. Chevy Chase Street Fair [Last event in 2019]

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Chevy Chase Street Fair is an annual family-friendly event where attendees congregate in one of Lexington’s most exciting shopping districts. This area has a bevy of businesses, eateries, retail stores, and nightspots that have something interesting for everyone. That’s why local vendors set up stalls during the street fair to entice locals and visitors from out of town. Expect to find stalls that specialize in art, beverages, clothing, country music, religious artifacts, massage therapy, and street food, to name a few.

Chevy Chase Street Fair

Address: Chevy Chase Inn, 833 E Euclid Ave, Lexington, KY 40502, USA

Website: Chevy Chase Street Fair

Takes place: August

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8. The Inner Light Festival [Last event in 2018]

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Lexington’s festival scene doesn’t disappoint, as there’s no shortage of cool and interesting events taking place here throughout the year. If you’re heading to this city in November, then consider the Inner Light Festival, which covers a variety of esoteric topics. This festival features demonstrations and seminars from notable psychics, holistic health specialists, lectures, and many special guests. Also, there’s arts & crafts, a ghost hunt, and even a spa to make it a well-rounded event.

The Inner Light Festival

Address: 1950 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511, USA

Website: The Inner Light Festival

Takes place: November

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9. Mary Queen Fall Festival

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

The Mary Queen Fall Festival offers attendees an entertaining and exciting event that they soon won’t forget. Now, why is that? Well, due to its family-friendly nature and wide range of activities, it’s one of those festivals that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Lexington. And, what you’ll find here includes a beer garden, bingo, food stalls, games, inflatables, live music, and a market. Don’t forget to enter competitions such as the Grand Raffle, as you could stand to win money and cool prizes.

Mary Queen Fall Festival

Address: Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary, 605 Hill N’ Dale Road, Lexington, KY 40503, USA

Website: Mary Queen Fall Festival

Takes place: October

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10. Crave Taco Week

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

If you love a good taco, then don’t miss out on Crave Taco Week. This nonprofit event aims to showcase the region’s most delicious and trailblazing tacos from a variety of local vendors. Several notable vendors at this event include Athenian Grill, Bear & The Butcher, Country Club, Babalu Tapas & Tacos, El Rancho Tapatio, La Taquiza, Lexington Diner, Minglewood, and Skyline Chili, to name a few. Each of these restaurants produces their signature taco dishes for you to sample. And, if you submit your passport to the organizers, you stand a chance to win free tacos for a whole year!

Crave Taco Week

Address: Chinoe Road, Lexington, KY 40502

Website: Crave Taco Week

Takes place: Usually held in March

Price: 5 USD

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Festivals for all seasons

Lexington History Center - Lexington, Kentucky
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Daderot used under CC0

The festival scene in Lexington is booming, with many notable festivals taking place throughout the year. Whether you’re interested in equestrian, music, or food events, you won’t be disappointed with what’s on offer here.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Demos, a freelance writer, boasts an entrepreneurial background that informs his diverse writing portfolio. His articles span across various topics, encompassing travel, business, technology,...Read more

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