When I was in college, I did my internship in Kentucky and I can honestly say, there are few places more beautiful than the rolling hills of bluegrass. The horse culture is very prominent and on one occasion when my parent’s came to visit, we went to the Kentucky Horse Park which is home to the burial place of Man o’ War, who was unquestionably the most famous Thoroughbred who ever lived.
The Kentucky Derby is right around the corner on May 5th so I wanted to share some easy, fun party ideas that I have discovered! So gather your friends, serve up the mint juleps and watch the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports”.
HWTM has teamed up with 14 Hands Vineyards (the official wine of the Derby) and created a set of FREE PRINTABLES in honor of this event. A complete package with everything you would need for this fun event!
So don your best hat, dress up and cheer your horse on to victory! For more fun DIY ideas, check out my pinterest board for Kentucky Derby Party Ideas.
Lissa (Bellenza) says
What a great roundup of printables and party ideas (love the mint juleps and the hat)!
PerryPack says
Great free printables!
I like to use old fashioned champagne glasses (nobody uses them anymore and they're very cheap at consignment stores!) to decorate with because they don't take up much room and are low enough to see over easily at the table. I float one or two nice blossoms (red roses for this occasion) or put votive or tea light candles in them. I like to put something dry and interesting in the glass before settling the candle down into it. I've used lemon drops at Easter, tiny red cinnamon candies at Valentine's and Christmas, mixed dried beans in the fall, candy corn for Halloween, etc. You can place them by each place setting, or group them around a larger center piece, march them in a straight line down the center of the table or across a mantle….so many possibilities! For Derby Day, I'm thinking of using red votive candles and settling them down into the glasses with some raw oats in the bottom – a horse's favorite, and very inexpensive when you use raw oatmeal!
Since Derby Day coincides with Cinco de Mayo this year, I plan to give a nod to that celebration by adding some large, red, paper "roses" to the decorations, add a family favorite taco dip to the appetizer table and beer (Corona, of course!) to the beverage table. Those who do not care for bourbon will be grateful!
Amy {Amys Party Ideas} says
What a great idea PerryPack! I love the oats idea…so clever! Would love to see it…you can post a photo on our facebook page. Happy Derby/Cinco de Mayo!