Keeneland and the return of Thursday Night Live: Don’t miss these Lexington events in April
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From concerts, to entertaining shows to the return of horse racing in Lexington, there are plenty of events to add to the calendar for April.
Here’s a summary of events you definitely don’t want to miss this month in Central Kentucky, including live performances, sporting events, outdoor festivals and much more.
Laurie Kilmartin show at at Comedy Off Broadway
Comedian Laurie Kilmartin will headline five shows at Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington from April 3-5. Reserved tickets can be purchased at Comedy Off Broadway’s website and range from $9-18, depending on the show.
All attendees must be 18 or older and show an ID. Doors open 30 minutes before the shows.
Kilmartin is an Emmy-nominated, Writers Guild of America award-winning comedian. She was previously a staff writer for Conan O’Brien at CONAN for eleven years and recently wrote for the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony hosted by O’Brien.
Kilartin has also written for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, The Late Late Show, and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn.
Disney on Ice
Disney on Ice will return to Lexington with six shows between April 3-6 at Rupp Arena. The show, titled Mickey’s Search Party, is about the search for Tinker Bell and includes popular characters Mickey Mouse, Coco, Moana, Belle, Elsa, Aladdin, the Little Mermaid and more.
Select shows will also feature a Moana Character Experience one hour before showtime. People who purchase the add-on experience will be put in the center of Moana’s story and celebrate the water, waves and wind as they sail away to Motunui with Moana and special guest Mickey Mouse.
Ticket prices for the character experience are $55 plus fees. People wanting to attend the character experience must have a ticket for the main show, which is selling for as low as $23.50 plus fees.
The return of Thursday Night Live
The popular weekly concert series in downtown Lexington is returning on April 3, kicking off the 30th anniversary of Thursday Night Live. The opening show will feature Einstein’s Hammer, a classic rock cover band.
The shows take place every Thursday night at Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in Tandy Park from 5-8 p.m.
Keeneland kicks off spring meet
The first of many races of Keeneland’s spring meet will kick off on April 4. The races will continue daily through April 25 except on Mondays, Tuesdays and Easter Sunday.
There are three stakes races scheduled for the April 4 meet, including the Kentucky Oaks qualifier Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland race with a $750,000 purse. That’s a $150,000 increase from last year’s purse.
General admission for April 4’s meet is $10.
Central Kentucky Home & Garden Show
The Central Kentucky Home & Garden show will be at the Central Bank Center on April 4-6. To celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary, the first 50 guests to arrive at the show daily will receive free mini potted roses or African violet florals.
The show will feature several vendors and celebrity speakers, including chef Jason Smith, straw bale gardener Joel Karsten, interior designer Jeanne Sallee and charcoal artist Sheila Kay.
The doors open at 10 a.m. on April 4-5 and open one hour later on April 6. Tickets for adults (13+) are $11 at the door, but show goers can save $2 by purchasing tickets online through April 3.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Grammy Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will make a stop in Lexington for its farewell tour on April 10. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Lexington Opera House, and tickets are as low as $49.50 plus fees.
The tour, titled “ALL THEGOOD TIMES: The Farewell Tour,” is the band’s final traditional cross-country tour. The group has performed for nearly six decades and produced hits “Mr. Bojangles,” “Fishin’ In The Dark,” “An American Dream” and many more.
“Playing our music for Dirt Band fans all over the world has been an incredible experience for us,” the band said in a statement. “The most important part of that has been the connection to our audience — that beautiful, communal give and take is like nothing else. That’s the very spirit we’ll be celebrating as we head into our farewell tour. We’re really looking forward to seeing you folks.”
Blockbuster Broadway by Lexington Philharmonic
Lexington Philharmonic will host Blockbuster Broadway on April 11 at the Singletary Center for the Arts. New York’s top vocalists will perform Broadway’s biggest hits from “Wicked,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Annie,” “Jersey Boys,” “Chicago,” “CATS” and “The Lion King.”
The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are between $28-78 for adults.
MercyMe concert
Multi-platinum-selling and Grammy Award-nominated Christian band MercyMe will perform at the Lexington Opera House on April 11. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are as low as $25 plus fees.
MercyMe was named Billboard’s Top Christian Artist of the 2010s. The band has sold more than 9 million CDs, singles and DVDs and has performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, “Good Morning America” and “The Today Show.”
Greek Sing 2025
University of Kentucky’s Chi Omega and Beta Theta Pi chapters will host the annual Greek Sing show at Rupp Arena on April 12. The show will begin at 5 p.m. and tickets are as low as $33.50 plus fees.
Each Greek life chapter on campus will perform a dance routine for the audience. Proceeds from the show will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio
Greek Sing has raised more than $950,000 for the foundation over the last five years.
Eckert’s Orchard Easter Egg-Citement
Eckert’s Orchard will temporarily open April 12, 13 and 19 for its annual Easter Egg-Citement celebration.
There will be several attractions at the events, including an Easter egg hunt, petting zoo, tractor rides around the farm, cookie icing stations, face painting, duck pond, a gift from the Easter Bunny and a complimentary photo scene with the Easter Bunny.
The celebrations will last from 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Only children require an admission ticket, which costs $20 online and $25 at the door.
Eckert’s Orchard will officially reopen for the season on Friday, April 25.
Easter events in Lexington
There will be three egg hunts and an egg decorating event across Lexington the week of April 14-20.
The first event will be the Kenwick Egg Hunt from 6-7:30 p.m. April 15 at the Kenwick Community Center. There will be mystery prizes hidden in the eggs and snacks, music, candy and prize giveaways.
Also on April 15, the Tates Creek Community Center will host an egg hunt from 4-5 p.m. There will be more than 300 eggs to find, along with food and fun activities.
The final egg hunt will take place April 19 at the Dunbar Community Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lucky finders of the golden egg will receive prizes, and there will be food, music, a bounce house and candy for all attendees.
On April 17, the Castlewood Community Center will host an egg decorating event from 6-7:30 p.m. Attendees can decorate holiday themed eggs to take home.
Tyler Childers concert
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and Lawrence County native Tyler Childers will headline the second-ever concert at Kroger Field on April 19. The show is a stop on Childers’ “On The Road” tour and will feature special guests Wynonna Judd and S.G. Goodman.
Tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com.
Childers’ fall “Mule Pull Tour” included sold-out shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden (two nights), Inglewood’s Kia Forum and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Childers also performed in front of two sold-out Rupp Arena crowds in December 2023.
One dollar from every ticket sold for the 27-stop tour will benefit two nonprofits: Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund, founded in 2020 by Childers and his wife, Senora May, to support philanthropic efforts in the region, and REVERB, which works to reduce the environmental impact of live music and tours.
The Avett Brothers concert
Grammy Award nominee The Avett Brothers will perform with special guest Houndmouth April 25 in Rupp Arena. Showtime is 8 p.m., and tickets are on sale for as low as $63 plus fees.
The band rose in popularity in 2009 with the release of its major label debut, I And Love And You. The band has released several more hits that climbed the Billboard charts and was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
The band’s latest album, The Third Gleam, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Americana/folk albums chart, No. 1 on the rock albums chart and No. 1 on the vinyl albums chart. The single “Victory” reached No. 1 on the Americana radio singles chart.
The Avett Brothers performed in Rupp in 2019.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Lexington Ballet School & Company will perform three shows of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Lexington Opera House from April 25-26. Tickets for all three shows are on sale for as low as $33 plus fees.
The Shakespearean ballet takes place in a forest populated by love triangles and fairy kingdoms. Dancers will display new, innovative works.
Kite Fest
To celebrate National Kite Month, Lexington Parks & Recreation will host the Kite Fest at Masterson Station Park. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. April 26.
Participation is free, and kites will be available to purchase. Activities will include kite flying, children’s games and inflatables.
