LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The search is on for the Kentucky Derby Festival's 2025 "Festival Fanatic," with the 70th festival fewer than three months away.
The winner will receive a prize package from the Derby Festival and the Kentucky Lottery. This ranges from VIP treatment to being named the 2025 Thundernator, the person who starts the fireworks for Thunder Over Louisville, one of the nation's largest fireworks displays and the Derby Festival's annual kickoff event. They'll also take home $500.
To enter, any eligible Fast Play W!N tickets can be entered until Sunday, Feb. 23, at 11:59 p.m. These include $2 Big W!N, $5 Double W!N, $10 Triple W!N and $20 MAX W!N. Players must sign-in or register for a Fun Club account at kylottery.com or via the Kentucky Lottery app. Once logged in, a player will be able to submit an eligible Fast Play W!N Ticket for a chance to be named the "Festival Fanatic."
The drawing for the 2025 "Festival Fanatic" will take place Thursday, Feb. 27.
“The Kentucky Lottery is so excited to once again be a partner in this community event by choosing the 2025 Festival Fanatic for the Kentucky Derby Festival,” said Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville. “This is a longtime partnership dating back to 2010, and our promotion keeps getting better and better each year, truly creating a lifetime of Derby Festival memories.”
The winner will also receive the following:
- Four tickets to the Great Steamboat Race, Day at the Downs, Thunder Over Louisville VIP party, BourbonVille (attendees must be 21 or older) and the Pegasus Parade VIP Viewing Zone
- Certificate for private tour of Kern's Kitchen DERBY-PIE factory
- Certificate for Kentucky Derby Museum tour
- Official 2025 Kentucky Derby Festival merchandise item
- Overnight accommodations at the Galt House Hotel for Thunder Over Louisville
- Tour of the Thunder Over Louisville Command Center
For a complete list of prizes and information, visit kylottery.com.
The 2025 Derby Festival kicks off Saturday, April 12, with Thunder Over Louisville. It will feature more than 70 events leading up to Kentucky Derby 151, set for Saturday, May 3.
Connor Smith - Digital Producer
Connor Smith is a digital producer for Spectrum News 1 in Louisville, Kentucky. He joined the team in November 2023 and hails from the Chicago area. In summer 2023, he received his Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern's Medill School in Chicago, where he covered Super Bowl LVII, the Chicago Marathon and other stories around the city.
