Thunder Over Louisville 2023

Watch the free live stream. Find full TV coverage and radio feed

Thunder over Louisville is a huge airshow and fireworks display held each year in Louisville as the official start of the Kentucky Derby festival, with the famous derby horse race coming a couple of weeks later.

The show has been taking place since 1989 and continues to expand in popularity, with crowds over well over half a million crowding into the riverside areas of the city to watch the spectacular fireworks and the breathtaking aeronautical air displays.

With huge crowds gathering for such a large scale all day event the top recommendation for enjoying Thunder over Louisville is to pick a spot to watch from and get there early. Also give some thought to your food and drink requirements for the day, as well as bathroom locations, as getting moved around the area can be pretty tricky once the crowds build up!

Thunder over Louisville Date

The event date for 2023 will be 22nd April with the fireworks scheduled for 9.30pm (ET).

Event Schedule

Schedule for 2023 event to follow and will be found here: Thunder over Louisville 2023

Popular viewing areas include:

Thunder Chow Wagon
Slugger Field
North Great Lawn
Meijer family fun zone on West Belvedere
Big Four Bridge on East River Road

One of the best vantage points to be had is at the Thunder over Louisville VIP Rooftop Party, which offers all day long food and drink as well as the best views of the air show and the fireworks. Get your tickets for this event here:

VIP Rooftop Party

TV, Live Streaming

There is live TV and radio broadcast coverage of the event each year, making it easy to watch live online streaming if you can't make it in person. Check out the following stations:

Thunder over Louisville coverage Wave 3

Coverage on WDRB

Coverage on WLKY

There is also live radio feed via local station WVEZ 106.9 PLAY, who will be broadcasting a live feed of the entire Thunder over Louisville soundtrack:

Listen live

Hotels and Accommodation

Louisville is generally busy throughout the Kentucky Derby festival, and in terms of sheer numbers the Thunder over Louisville weekend is the busiest time so we recommend you make your hotel reservation as soon as you can to get the best prices.

You can check availability and make reservations for local hotels here.

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