I got interested in Kentucky Thurby 2024 after seeing folks talk about it online last year. Kept hearing how it’s this cool party before the Derby with cheaper drinks and better music. So this April, I grabbed my laptop to figure out the race date and schedule.
First thing I did was search “Kentucky Thurby 2024 dates” late one night. Found some event calendars saying it always happens the Thursday before Derby. Did quick math – Derby’s first Saturday in May, so counted backward. Bam! Got May 2nd pinned as race day.
Breaking Down the Schedule
Next morning I dug deeper for timing details. Wanted to know:
- When gates actually open
- First race start time
- Special events happening between races
Scrolled through Churchill Downs’ official posts. Saw they always kick off around 11am with races every 30 minutes. Made notes:
- Gates open 10:30 AM
- Post time 11:00 AM
- Last race around 5:30 PM
The fun part was discovering all the non-racing stuff. Official site mentioned:
- Local bands playing all afternoon
- Kentucky Proud Market selling crafts
- $5 bourbon specials until 1 PM
Got pumped seeing they extended the infield access this year. Meant more room for cheap mint juleps!
Ticket Hunt Mess
Thought buying tickets would be simple. Wrong! Prices jumped depending on seating. General admission was $30 online but $50 at gate. Infield tickets were cheapest but no seat guarantees. Spent like an hour comparing sections before grabbing two $45 grandstand tickets.
Double-checked dress codes too. Almost messed up – thought it was casual like Derby, but Thurby’s actually more relaxed. Packed my linen shirt instead of suit jacket.
Ended up printing the whole schedule plus parking maps. Old school style – didn’t trust my phone battery to last all day. Threw everything in my blue backpack ready for race day.
