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Why 2025 is a year for celebration in Louisville

2024 was an epic year for the city of Louisville and there is plenty more to look forward to in the year ahead. The new year brings with it several key milestone anniversaries for us to get excited about in 2025:
150 Years of Churchill Downs
Opened in 1875, Churchill Downs has been a Louisville institution for the past 150 years. Home to the longest continually run sporting event in the country, the Kentucky Derby, millions of racing fans have cheered on thundering thoroughbreds under the twin spires. In 2025, the National Historic Landmark will celebrate 150 years along with the completion of a $90 million renovation to the existing grandstand. The upgrade will enhance ticketed seating options while significantly improving and adding to the amenities available for guests in the grandstand area. The Grandstand Pavilion will become a more upscale social environment by converting the existing second-floor amenity space into a covered outdoor garden with new concessions, bars, and wagering windows. A new stately entrance to the Grandstand Pavilion will unify the surrounding exterior architecture. The 2025 racing season will kick off on April 26 during Churchill Downs' annual opening night event.
The 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby
One of the most well-known novels in history turns 100 years old in April 2025, marking a century since F. Scott Fitzgerald first published The Great Gatsby. Stationed at Louisville's Camp Taylor during World War I, a young Fitzgerald would find himself at The Seelbach Hotel for an occasional drink at the bar. It’s there that Fitzgerald is said to have rubbed elbows with mobsters and bootleggers. One of which was George Remus - the bootlegging King of Kentucky - who is said to have helped inspire the character of Jay Gatsby. In fact, Louisville is mentioned throughout the novel and is the birthplace of Gatsby's love, Daisy Buchanan. The Seelbach’s Grand Ballroom is written as the location of Tom and Daisy's lavish June wedding which saw “more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before.” Celebrate in Great Gatsby fashion by booking a stay at the historic hotel, or look for one of the many events coming to the city this Spring.
The 40th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby Museum
Coming off a record-setting year, the Kentucky Derby Museum will be marking four decades come Spring 2025. To celebrate the occasion a $2.3 million upgrade to The Greatest Race, a 360° 4K film, will feature remastered video, updated technology, and enhanced lighting and sound. The museum has also debuted a new fashion exhibit that will immerse guests into the fabulous and fanciful Derby Day ensembles that have graced Churchill Downs over the past 150 years.
The 20th Anniversary of the Muhammad Ali Center
The Muhammad Ali Center is a cultural and educational institution celebrating the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali. It features interactive exhibits, artifacts, and multimedia presentations highlighting Ali's achievements as a boxing champion, humanitarian, and activist. The center focuses on his six core principles: confidence, conviction, dedication, respect, giving, and spirituality. It also offers programs and events promoting social justice, personal growth, and global understanding.
For more information on what you can expect from Louisville KY in 2025, please click here.

 

Posted by: Louisville Tourism
Posted on: 02/01/2025

Why 2025 is a year for celebration in Louisville - by Louisville Tourism

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