Fresh and Fabulous Ideas and Recipes for your Kentucky Derby Party!

The “Race for the Roses” will be held this Saturday on May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. If you cannot be there in person, then what better reason to have your very own Derby party. There is so much history surrounding this annual event and how fun to partake in its revelry.

A Little History

The Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Saturday in May every year, and typically draws a crowd of 155,000 people. It is the longest continually held sporting event in America, and it is one of the most prestigious horse races in the world.

Often called “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports”, the Kentucky Derby receives this nickname from the approximate length of time it takes the winner to run from the starting gate to the finish line. The Kentucky Derby is the first race within the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, where it is followed by the Preakness Stakes race and the Belmont Stakes race.

Setting the Theme

When my sweet blogging friends came to visit Bella Terra in 2022, we put together all the best tips to hosting your very own Kentucky Derby party and we want to share them with you today!

Chloe, from Celebrate and Decorate was unable to come at the last minute due to a family medical emergency. However, she did ship all the wonderful elements of a beautiful table beforehand. Using the black and white checks of a jockey’s attire, the harlequin table cloth is the perfect backdrop. Moss in a roll make a wonderful runner and adds the grassy feel of Churchill Downs.

The Centerpiece

Working with a laser cut wooden horse head, Chloe embellishes it with a Derby Day theme. Here is the Before:

And the After:

The horse head centerpiece is a clever use of craft materials and you can see the entire DIY here. Finding the wooden horse head silhouette on Amazon, Chloe covers it in moss, adds roses for the mane and adds a harlequin ribbon for the bridle. This can be used as decoration for the front door (add a hook) or as the table’s centerpiece.

Beautiful silver mint julep cups are filled with fresh red roses that I order from The Bouqs. Waiting for a 20% off promotion, I purchase 6 dozen (4 dozen would have been plenty)of these gorgeous red roses. I place 10 roses in each mint julep cup (6 cups) and surround the horse head.

If you are looking for mint julep cups, here is a resource for stainless steel ones. Silver or silver plated mint julep cups can be found here.

The Place Setting

Since the Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious races, it’s time to pull out the glamour of silver and crystal. After experimenting with different chargers and dinner plates, we decide a simple white plate with a beaded silver charger with a white embroidered linen napkin is the most elegant.

If you don’t have real silver or silver-plate, there are many faux silver chargers available. You can see these more affordable options here. Having a basic white dinner plate allows you the opportunity to make your table casual or more formal. Here is a good option on white dinner plates.

Chloe makes these stunning red rose napkin rings and you can see her DIY here. Even though she wasn’t physically present, we all greatly appreciate her creative contributions to this gorgeous table.

Sparkling crystal glasses, silver candlesticks and silver wine/champagne buckets add more glamour to the table.

Andrea from Design Morsels finds these small horseshoes which we scatter around the centerpiece. Adding the white slipcovered dining chairs around the table, again makes this dining experience extra special.

The table is placed under the very old date palms trees on the south side of our historic property.

Hors D’oeuvres

Even though mint juleps are the traditional cocktail for the Kentucky Derby, we dust off our best Waterford champagne flutes and serve a Thomson & Scott Noughty dealcoholized sparking rosé bubbly.

A variety of cheeses, crackers, salami, olives, nuts and fruit make a colorful, yet tasty tray of nibbles.

Icy shrimp with cocktail sauce on a vintage Fenton Spanish Lace Silver Crest ruffle edge milk glass pedestal cake stand gives some height to a small table. This is one of my favorite cake stands and as I am writing this, there is one available on eBay here.

Fresh shrimp and a wonton hors d’oeuvre create different textures and flavors. An interesting mix for your guests.

For more food and decorating ideas, see my Derby Day Fun post from 2019 here.

And a Hat, of course!

Hats are a long standing tradition at the Kentucky Derby! And what is a Derby party without a lovely chapeau!

On the Kentucky Derby website, you can download the entire Kentucky Derby 2024 information guide, the list of horses and you can even place a bet on their website. They even have an online store for your to purchase party supplies.

Thanks to Chloe’s creativity and the capable hands of Andrea from Design Morsels and Chas from Chas’ Crazy Creations, we hope you will be inspired to host your own Kentucky Derby party! What fun to put it all together here at our home and share these moments with such great friends.

10 Winning Kentucky Derby Party Food Ideas and Champion Recipes

My friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse is part of a supper club comprising of very talented women. In Rachel’s post, not only does she include recipes from Shrimp & Grits to Bourbon Bread Pudding, but the following as well:

Michele from Vintage Home Design~Traditional Mint Julep Recipe with a Lemonade Twist

Jen at Midwest Life and Style- Crockpot Bourbon Meatballs

Anne and AnnMarie at Simply2Moms~The Hot Brown

Stacy at Bricks ‘n Blooms~Best Blondie Brownie Recipe

Just writing this post is making me hungry and I cannot wait to try some of these new recipes. May is just around the corner and enjoying the Kentucky Derby is a great way to welcome in the month.Are you planning a Derby day celebration?

Some of the photos are taken by Emily Supiot from Cozy Clicks.

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