LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky Derby Festival organizers unveiled plans on Thursday for this year's Thunder Over Louisville, saying the event would look different this year for health safety reasons.
What You Need To Know
- Thunder Over Louisville takes place April 17, and it'll be unlike any one before it
- Fireworks will not be set off along the waterfront — instead, they'll be deployed in several "undisclosed locations" around Louisville
- The air show will be shorter this year, and fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
The annual air and fireworks show takes place April 17, and it features a lot of changes.
"I want to emphasize that it’s not going to be at the waterfront," said Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Matt Gibson during an online news conference. "Public health and safety are always our top priority."
A shorter, two-hour air show will include fly-bys, aerobatics and a drone show. Fireworks will be set off in several undisclosed locations around Louisville, starting at 9:30 p.m., organizers said.
"We’ve come through the pandemic, we’re starting to get shots in the arm," said Dan Mann, the executive director of Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. "Thunder, while it’s going to be different, is an event that’s going to be a celebration and a kick-off to what should be just a fabulous summer, and family and friends [will be] back together again.”
The theme of this year’s Thunder Over Louisville is “Illuminating Our Community.”
Organizers acknowledged that some may learn the show's undisclosed locations and asked the public not to gather there.
"People gathering will have a negative impact on our ability to do what we’re doing and to bring this to the community, so we can’t reiterate it enough: viewing from your home, from television is the best safest way to do it," Gibson said.