Wild Lights is back in Lou 🦎

Welcome back to The Louisville Plug.

This week we're covering 4 events for the first time ever. You asked for more coverage, we listened, and we're delivering. More on that below.

This week is a visual one. We've got Wild Lights opening at the Louisville Zoo, Churchill Downs under the lights, a free neighborhood festival in Old Louisville, and a full day of bluegrass in the woods.

Inside this issue:

You spoke, we listened.

Last week we asked what you wanted more of and the results are in: more events coverage won by a landslide. Starting this week the Louisville Plug is officially covering 4 events every Sunday. We're obsessed with giving you the most value we can and we're just getting started. Thank you for helping us build this thing.

Okay, now let's get into it. 👇

Autumn is a Louisville content creator and the founder of Luminary Collective, a social media agency helping brands grow through authentic storytelling, content creation, and digital strategy. Originally from Western Kentucky, she's proudly called Louisville home for 7 years and even claimed a 502 number to prove it. Beyond client work, she brings the Louisville creative community together through her live event series, The Content Collective, connecting local creators and business owners in person. When she's pointing you somewhere in this city, it's because it actually earned it. Follow her at @autumnliketheszn and the agency at @luminarycollectivelou.

Be sure to follow Autumn and the Luminary Collective on Instagram. Don’t be scared to say hi if you see her in her corner on the second floor, just make sure to say we sent you. 😄

🗓️ Friday, May 15th – Sunday, May 17th | 7pm – 10pm nightly
📍 Louisville Zoo
💸 Adults $20+ / Kids & Seniors $16+ / Zoo members get discounts

Wild Lights is back at the Louisville Zoo after a one year hiatus and the 2026 edition is almost entirely brand new. Walk a 1.4 mile path through more than 50 hand crafted illuminated lantern displays across four themed realms: Magical Forest, Magical Ocean, Pre-Historic Animals, and Wondrous Asia. The highlights alone are worth the trip: a 20-foot three headed dragon, a 15-foot unicorn, and a giant illuminated chameleon greeting you at the entrance.

Artisans from Zigong, China are on site demonstrating a 1,000 year old lantern making craft, with live acrobatics and traditional mask-changing performances throughout the night. Opening weekend is the move as everything is fresh, the crowds haven't built yet, and nobody in your circle has seen it. Themed snacks and cocktails are on site to keep the night going.

👉 Grab your Wild Lights tickets before opening weekend sells out HERE

🗓️ Saturday, May 16th | Gates open 5pm / Last race 11:10pm
📍 Churchill Downs
💸 Ticketed - GA available

Churchill Downs under the lights is a Louisville experiences most locals have never actually had and that's exactly why this one is worth your Saturday night. Downs After Dark happens just a handful of times per year, and the last race doesn't go off until 11:10pm, which means a full evening of live music, food and drink specials, and Thoroughbred racing long after the sun goes down.

The Twin Spires lit up after dark is one of the most stunning sights in this city. If you've only ever seen Churchill Downs on a Derby afternoon, you owe it to yourself to see it like this at least once.

👉 Snag your Downs After Dark tickets before they're gone HERE

🗓️ Saturday, May 16th | 10am – 7pm
📍 Toonerville Trolley Park
💸 Free

Nearly 100 local artists and vendors take over one of Louisville's most beautiful historic neighborhoods for a full Saturday of handmade goods, food trucks, live music, and a beer garden DJ. We're talking handmade art, upcycled goods, jewelry, pottery, clothing, soaps, wood crafts, and artisanal food. All set against Old Louisville's iconic Victorian architecture as the backdrop.

SpringFest is one of the most underrated neighborhood festivals in the city and it costs you nothing to walk in. Start your Saturday here, grab something handmade, eat something good, and head to Downs After Dark when the sun goes down. That's a full Louisville day right there.

👉 See what's coming to SpringFest this year HERE

🗓️ Saturday, May 16th | Daytime
📍 Jefferson Memorial Forest
💸 Ticketed

Jefferson Memorial Forest is one of the largest municipally owned urban forests in the United States and most people in Louisville have never set foot in it. Forest Fest is the best excuse to change that. A full day of live Bluegrass and Americana music, hands on workshops, nature play, and local makers all deep in the woods just outside the city.

It's the kind of event that doesn't exist anywhere else because a venue like this doesn't exist anywhere else. Family friendly and the kind of Louisville experience that reminds you this city has more layers than most people give it credit for. Worth the drive out to Mitchell Hill Rd.

👉 Get your Forest Fest tickets and plan your day HERE

We partnered with one of Louisville's most talked about cottage bakeries for something we've never done before. An exclusive Louisville Plug pre-order box! Violet & Flour is known for their jumbo stuffed cookies and this Saturday they're setting up at the East End Farmers Market. Pre-order a 6-pack and as a Louisville Plug reader you get a FREE mystery specialty cookie on top. That's 7 cookies total for $26.

Here's what's in the box: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip, S'mores, Biscoff Cookie Butter, Funfetti, Strawberry Lemon, and Cookies & Cream. Plus that free mystery flavor nobody else is getting.

Only 25 boxes are available and they will sell out. Full payment is due at booking to lock in your order for Saturday pickup at the East End Farmers Market on May 16th.

This one is genuinely special. Don't sleep on it.

👉 Pre-order your exclusive Louisville Plug cookie box HERE before they're gone

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Thanks for reading!
— The Louisville Plug