Hi first timer heading to the derby May 1-4th and CANNOT wait! We are staying in Indiana about an hour north. The day of the derby....just how early should you get there? We will be in the infield. Also what is the parking situation like. Typically how LONG of a day is it. Ive read people get there at 5 am and dont leave till like 8 pm! Should girls wear dresses and hats in the infield, even though we will probably get filthy??? Please give me all tips and pointers and exactly what to expect. Thanks so much!!!
What to expect at the derby???Dresses may be optional, but hats are NOT! That%26#39;s half the fun! We took a bus last year and had (bad) seats so I can%26#39;t be of too much help, but you may well decide to leave after the Derby (it will have been a long day by then and many people do) so that would be about 6.
Get your souvenir Tshirts early for best color selection and if you don%26#39;t drink (but everyone does) you can get souvenir mint julep glasses in the gift shop. You%26#39;ll have a great time but just don%26#39;t expect to actually ';see'; the race!
What to expect at the derby???If you are locked in for the infield, then plan on a big party type atmosphere with lots of very drunk people. It%26#39;s a huge area tha can accomodate 100000 or more people but there are lines for bathrooms and lines for everything else... You can%26#39;t bring in bottles of anything, plastic or glass or cans. Almost everyone that has been here before has figured out a way to smuggle in some booze. You MUST buy at least one Mint Julep but I don%26#39;t think it is possible to drink just one. They are precious at around $9 per, but hey, you get to keep the glass. People park in all of the yards all around the track for between $25 to $50. You%26#39;ll want to check with local paper, The Courier-Journal to see what their plan is to completely mess up traffic and access this year. They do a pretty good job of changing the plan just enough each year to really cause a huge, almost non moving jam up every year. One of the safest bets is to park at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center (the Fairgrounds) and walk/shuttle over to the track about a mile away.
I highly recommend parking at the Fairgrounds and riding the bus or at Papa John%26#39;s Stadium and then walking.
Re: the infield, you can venture off into the corners to view the debauchery or stay on the bricks and have a bit more reasonable experience. If you want to bet on any races here%26#39;s some invaluable advice: stay one race ahead; by that I mean that you should bet the 3rd race as soon as the first race is over. That way you%26#39;ll spend a few minutes in line rather than 40 minutes.
Plan to make a full day of it and be patient.
Wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing all day.
Hi PODS,
I just skimmed the previous answers so, I apologize if I%26#39;m repeating.
1) How early to arrive? For Infield, you don%26#39;t really have to get there very early unless you really want to ';set up camp'; in a very specific spot. In my infield days, all of our friends HAD to be around the 3rd turn. However, we still didn%26#39;t get there early....since others would always hold a spot. You%26#39;ll be fine to get there about an hour before the first race. The line may look crazy, but it moves fast. It won%26#39;t sell out.
2) Parking is difficult. We%26#39;ve always parked in someone%26#39;s yard. It can cost anywhere from $20 - $50 depending upon how close you are to the track. If you have a car full of people, it%26#39;s pretty cheap to divide the parking cost. Some places require you to leave your keys (because they block cars in and will need to move them around as people come back for them). Avoid leaving your keys. You can always move on to the next yard. I%26#39;ve never done the shuttle, some people swear by it. I%26#39;ve seen the lines to catch it at the end of the day and I am not willing to wait that long (after standing in heals for seven hours).
3) The actual Derby race goes off around 6pm. So if you arrive around 11:30am, you%26#39;re going to spend about 7 hours at the track. By the way, bring sun screen %26amp; possibly some of those fold-up rain ponchos.
4) In the Infield, dresses are NOT the norm for girls. Most people wear shorts, T-shirts or whatever. Straw hats are good (nothing expensive). If there%26#39;s been rain, you WILL get muddy. Tell your female friends to not wear anything that they wouldn%26#39;t be OK ruining. That said, you WILL see people dressed up in all kinds of costumes including paper mache horse suits. Everything goes.
After the Derby, there%26#39;s a crazy bar that we have always called ';B.J.%26#39;s'; that%26#39;s only a few blocks from the track on Rodman St. I can%26#39;t remember the cross street. I don%26#39;t believe there%26#39;s even a sign with the name of the bar outside. But you%26#39;ll know it if you find it. There will be grills a%26#39;blazin and some old school funk playing in the parking lot. We go there to let the traffic die down before we tackle the drive home. If you make it to BJ%26#39;s, please say %26#39;hello%26#39;. I%26#39;ll be the one in the hat.
Good luck! Check the weather before you go. Louisville can go from 70 to 40 degrees in a single day-especially in early May.
You all have been very helpful! You have no idea how excited I am. We are getting there Thursday staying in Indiana about an hour away along a river in a big old house. Then come Saturday, we have a few designated people that actually want to get there at 5 am to camp out and get a good spot. I guess we will arrive a bit later. I am a first timer, so Im going to need to get souviners, t shirts , shot glasses etc, and I was wondering if there are stores in the infield or vendors selling outside the derby???
There will be many, many vendors selling souvenirs outside the track in tents before and after the race. I%26#39;d recommend waiting until after the race as the prices may go down.
5 AM arrival isn%26#39;t necessary--track will not be open then and crowd won%26#39;t get huge until much later.
I agree with the previous post. It%26#39;s crazy to get there at 5am. I don%26#39;t think they even open the gates until around 8am (double check that)
Also, I know you guys are staying an hour away. But if you can, you should definitely check out the party scene at the bars in Louisville on Derby-eve. This is the only time of year that they allowed to stay open all night. I recommend you make your way to the Bardstown Road area. Start around Molly Malone%26#39;s Pub and walk to other pubs from there.
I found this...The picture is a very accurate representation of how people in the Infield are dressed. I can tell the picture was taken in the 3rd turn area. Notice the lack of sundresses.
sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story…
By the way, you can purchase your racing forms %26amp; programs before entering Churchill Downs (and avoid that line). Multiple places will have them, but I know the convenient store that%26#39;s on 4th Street %26amp; Heywood Ave.....or...4th %26amp; Iowa Ave. will have them (Sorry, I%26#39;m terrible with exact addresses %26amp; names). Probably any convenient store or liquor store near the track will have them also. I also recommend you get a ';green sheet'; and share it.
By the way, my brain %26amp; fingers don%26#39;t speak sometimes. I meant to say ';convenience'; stores.
Check out the official website Kentucky Derby 134 and click on ';The Derby Experience'; then click on ';The Infield'; then click on ';Check out the Infield'; (in blue lettering). The site has directions and a list of what you can and can%26#39;t bring. I don%26#39;t think you can bring umbrellas either. Prepare for all types of weather. I have sat through driving rain, sleet one year, and a lot of years of nice sunny weather. Don%26#39;t forget ponchos. They will search your bags thoroughly. Go in the entrance next to the Derby Museum to get to the infield - most anyone can point you in that direction and it will require less aimless wandering on your part. I would get there between 8 and 10 to avoid the bad traffic and to get your money%26#39;s worth and enjoy the full day. The first race goes off around 11 and races run every 30 to 60 minutes for the whole day. If you like to bet I would reinforce the previous poster who suggested betting well before each race starts, or you will spend all day in the betting line. Sounds like you have derby fever.
No comments:
Post a Comment