FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
For more information:
Mollie LaFavers
Fund for the Arts
mlafavers@fundforthearts.org
859.324.0181
LOUISVILLE, KY (April 24, 2021) –Churchill Downs and Fund for the Arts will celebrate Opening Night presented by Budweiser for the fifth time with live art performances and horse racing. With COVID guidelines in place, guests will gather at Churchill Downs Racetrack for a night focused on healing and rebuilding, represented by the color orange, which is the color of creativity. Guests are encouraged to join in the theme by incorporating orange into their outfits. Tickets are available for Opening Night presented by Budweiser on Saturday, April 24th at https://www.churchilldowns.com/calendar/2021-04-24
This event will feature more than 29 live performances by 16 local actors, dancers, musicians, singers, visual artists, and arts organizations all abiding by appropriate social distancing while delivering incredible live performances. Spread throughout the racetrack, artist performances will embody the theme of healing and rebuilding through song, dance, live painting, and more.
Artists performing throughout the racetrack include:
- Andy Perez – live painting
- BioGliz – interactive performance art with glitter models
- E.S.T.I.N.E.D Dance Company – energetic dance performance
- Finnegan and Koko – siblings age 9 and 11 performing songs
- Grant Goodwine – live drawing
- Gyuli Kambarova – classical music performance
- Hot Sauce Brass Band – acoustic performance bringing a street party to the paddock
- Keen Dance Theatre – contemporary dance that tells a story
- Louisville Listens & Patricia McQuade – runway fashion featuring original designs
- Redline Performing Arts – musical theatre cabaret
- The Art of Kacy – live mural painting
- Rush Trowel and Faith Works Studios – live performance of retro, soul hits
- LaVon Fisher-Wilson and Band – Motown tribute from a Broadway star
- Louisville Youth Choir – An inspiring song of Kentucky by Kentucky youth
- Vision of Life – solo folk musician playing acoustic guitar
- Bri Bowers – live mural creation
Tickets start at $19 and gates open at 5:00 p.m. with first post at 6:00 p.m. Opening Night is a “Dress to Impress” occasion with guests encouraged to wear party and cocktail attire; a tie is optional. Guests should have fun assembling an evening Derby look that incorporates the color orange in the spirit of creativity and encouragement.
About Churchill Downs Racetrack
Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September, and the Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The saddling paddock and the stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility. www.ChurchillDowns.com.
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to maximize the impact of the arts on economic development, education, and quality of life in our community. The Fund is a convener, promoter, leader, and driver of Imagine Greater Louisville, the region’s arts and cultural plan. It facilitates the largest arts grant program in Kentucky as well as conducts one of the oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org.
