Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is almost always on the first Saturday in May, which caps the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. (In case you didn’t know, the festival is only Kentucky’s largest single annual event, which was founded all the way back in 1935.)
The competition itself is a stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds and it is held at Churchill Downs.
People certainly do not just go to the lavish event for the horses though, but go to the event for all the fashionable photo ops. The Kentucky Derby hat is a popular item to wear to this event and is an item that will garner the most attention (if worn well, of course). The hat (aka a fascinator and cocktail hat) is usually worn as an evening accessory at only the most royal gatherings.
Some celebs who have proven to bring their absolute A game to the derby with their hats include the likes of Michelle Williams, NeNe Leakes, and Katie Couric.