LOUISVILLE (June 2, 2026) –
Official press conference:
- June 2, 10 am
- Portland Library with Mayor Craig Greenberg
- Reps from Louisville Metro Government, Fund for the Arts, Louisville Free Public Library, and other regional libraries
- On-site Cultural Pass Partners: Portland Museum, Kentucky Science Center, and Cool Mountain Theatre will have table demonstrations
- Louisville Metro Government supports Summer Reading, Cultural Pass
- Programs available May 30 – August 9
WHAT IS CULTURAL PASS?
- Cultural Pass program offers FREE access to over 100 events hosted by local arts and culture institutions while school is out!
- Cultural Pass App available to download anytime, makes it easy to browse and search the full calendar of events, build their personal Cultural Pass schedule, get reminders, check in, and stay up to date.
- Paper alternatives available at participating libraries
- Full list of 2026 Cultural Pass partners is below
- Available to anyone ages 0 – 21 + their guardian(s)
- Must live or work in Jefferson or Bullitt County in Kentucky or Clark, Floyd, or Harrison Counties in Indiana
- Presented by Fund for the Arts, Louisville Metro Government, Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), Kentuckiana Cultural Consortium and all participating library systems (listed below)
WHAT IS SUMMER READING?
- FREE 10-week program that encourages kids and teens to read for fun over the summer by offering prizes and incentives.
- Every child—from infant through 12th grade—who completes the program will receive a red panda fanny pack, along with passes to local attractions and sporting events like the Kentucky Science Center, Squire Boone Caverns, belle of Louisville, Louisville Bats, and Racing Louisville.
- To complete the program, school-aged children simply read ten books, teens read six books, and preschool-aged children and younger need to read, or have read to them, 20 books.
- Presented by the Library Foundation
FROM LEADERSHIP
“Learning doesn’t have to stop in the summer, and I am so thankful we are once again offering these two amazing free programs for Louisville children and families,” said Mayor Greenberg. “The Cultural Pass and Summer Reading programs are great ways for children and their families to explore our city together, engage with neighbors, build connections and spark creativity.”
“Cultural Pass is an investment not only in our young people, but in the arts and culture organizations who help us create a brighter future for them,” said Fund for the Arts Interim President and CEO Brett Shepherd. “We’re grateful to Louisville Metro, our partners, and the sponsors who keep this program growing and inspiring families, while also serving as a model to cities across the country who look to Cultural Pass for access and engagement.”
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Presented by Fund for the Arts, Louisville Metro Government, Arts & Culture Alliance (ACA), Kentuckiana Cultural Consortium and all participating library systems including: Louisville Free Public Library, Bullitt County Public Library, Charlestown Clark County Public Library, The Floyd County Library, Harrison County Library, and Jeffersonville Township Public Library.
The 2026 Cultural Pass is supported by the Humana Foundation, Fund for the Arts, Louisville Metro Government, PNC Bank, Brooke Brown Barzun Foundation, Sociable Weaver Foundation, Owsley Brown III Philanthropic Foundation, Emily Bingham and Stephen Reily, David Jones Jr. and Mary Gwen Wheeler, JPMorganChase, The Gheens Foundation, Churchill Downs, Caesar’s Foundation of Floyd County, Sam and Bonnie Rechter Family Foundation, Stites & Harbison PLLC, and Delta Dental, with media sponsorship from the Courier-Journal.
For more information on Cultural Pass and to download the app, visit culturalpass.app.
For more information, or to register for Summer Reading, visit LFPL.org/SummerReading or call (502) 574-1611.
IMAGES/ASSETS:
Click links for a selection of images from Cultural Pass 2025 partners and Summer Reading and Cultural Pass 2025 Kickoff.
Click here for graphics/assets for Cultural Pass 2026
2026 CULTURAL PASS PARTNERS:
- 21c Museum Hotel
- Actors Theatre of Louisville
- Ambo Dance Theatre
- Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana
- Belle of Louisville Riverboats
- Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
- Blackacre Nature Preserve & Historic Homestead
- Bullitt County Cooperative Extension
- Charlestown Ensembles
- Charlestown State Park
- The Conrad-Caldwell House Museum
- Cool Mountain Theatre
- Corydon Capitol State Historic Site
- Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site
- The Falls of the Ohio State Park
- Farmington
- Filson Historical Society
- The Floyd County Carnegie Library Cultural Arts Center
- The Food Literacy Project,
- The Frazier Kentucky History Museum
- Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana
- Guru Vandana Academy
- Harrison County Discovery Center
- Historic Locust Grove
- JASTEKA Cultural Center
- Jeffersonville Public Art: NoCo Art Center
- Kentucky Derby Museum
- Kentucky Science Center
- Kentucky Shakespeare
- KMAC Contemporary Art Museum
- Looking for Lilith Theatre Company
- Louisville Ballet School, The
- The Louisville Leopard Percussionists
- Louisville Nature Center
- Louisville Philharmonia – The Musicians’ Orchestra
- Louisville Visual Art
- Louisville Water Tower
- Louisville Youth Choir Inc.
- Louisville Zoo
- Maker13
- Muhammad Ali Center
- National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution
- The Parklands of Floyds Fork
- Portland Museum
- Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing
- Roots 101 African American Museum
- Side by Side Studio
- Speed Art Museum
- StageOne Family Theatre
- Waterfront Botanical Gardens
- Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
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