Thunder Over Louisville 2024. Photograph by crew member Andy Zimlich

After a disappointing turn last year, when Thunder Over Louisville was canceled for the first time in its history due to flooding, we are thrilled to have Thunder return as the opening event for the Kentucky Derby Festival in 2026! One of the parts of the event that we are most excited for is the front-row view that our riverboats provide. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than on the water when it comes to being part of the action during one of North America’s largest fireworks shows.

The event was first held in 1989, was in the daytime. Originally called the Opening Ceremony of the Kentucky Derby Festival, it was inspired by the Olympics opening ceremonies and happened at the Chow Wagon. It included the release of around 20,000 balloons in addition to fireworks. The next year, Thunder became a nighttime sensation held at the old Cardinal Stadium at the Kentucky Exposition Center. This is where it got its name, from the thundering sounds of fireworks across the night sky in Louisville. Although fireworks shows had been part of the Kentucky Derby festivities since the 1960s, this was by far the biggest. 

In 1991, Thunder moved to Waterfront Park. The air show was added in 1992, to provide entertainment for what was quickly becoming an all-day tradition.

A WHAS11 retrospective of the event reports that, in 1997, the fireworks were to be launched from two downtown bridges at the same time… or so Wayne Hettinger, producer of Thunder Over Louisville and a member of the Friends of the Belle board, thought. However, a thunderstorm late in the evening before Thunder resulted in lightning striking the second bridge, setting off all of the fireworks that had been arranged for the following day. “It was a hell of a show,” Hettinger recalls.

In 2024, drones were featured during Thunder Over Louisville for the first time–arranging themselves in the shape of the Belle of Louisville, to our delight.

“I’ve always been proud that the Belle has THE front row seat and is there to help show our pride for what we do in Louisville,” Hettinger told us in an email. And which Thunder would he consider his favorite? The upcoming 2026 event. “We’ll be saluting the 250th Anniversary of America in grand style and on a grand scale,” he said.

You can book your tickets to the best front-row seats to Thunder right here on our website. Come be a part of a great Louisville tradition on Louisville’s riverboats!