July Fourth festivities, blackberry festival: Don’t miss these July Central KY events
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lexington hosts full schedule of July 4 festivities, races and fireworks shows.
- Major performances include Creed's sold-out tour kickoff and Candlelight concert.
- Festivals like the Blackberry Harvest and Tattoo Expo draw regional participation.
Have an upcoming event to highlight? Send details a month in advance to cleach@herald-leader.com, or list your event at kentucky.com/events.
With an abundance of Independence Day festivities, concerts and a Blackberry Harvest Festival, there are plenty of things to do this month in Central Kentucky.
Here is a summary of July events you don’t want to miss in central Kentucky.
Lexington Fourth of July Celebration
Lexington Parks and Recreation will host several events celebrating Independence Day, beginning with a patriotic night July 1. The show, part of the Big Band & Jazz concert series, will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Moondance Amphitheater inside Beaumont Centre Circle.
There will be an ice cream social the following day at Fifth Third Bank Pavilion at Henry A. Tandy Centennial Park. Free, cool treats will be handed out, and there will also be performances from Dixie Land South and Boogie G and the Titanics.
On July 3, there will be a Fourth of July eve patriotic concert at Transylvania University and Gratz Park. Young at Heart will perform at 5 p.m., followed by the Lexington Philharmonic at 7:30 p.m.
The Fourth of July will feature several Independence Day-themed events, beginning with the 49th annual Bluegrass 10,000 and Fun Run. The races, starting and finishing by the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza, will begin at 7:25 a.m. with the wheelchair division followed by the 10-kilometer race five minutes later.
The last day to register is July 3.
After the runners and walkers clear the streets, the Fourth of July Festival & Market will take over downtown Lexington at the courthouse plaza and Centennial Park. The event will feature live music, children’s activities and vendors from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In the middle of the festival & market will be the Fourth of July Parade, which starts at noon. The parade will start at Midland Avenue and go down Main Street until it ends at Mill Street.
The Independence Day festivities will come to their traditional end in the evening hours with the city’s fireworks spectacular show. The show, lighting off from Main Street and Oliver Lewis Way, will begin at 10 p.m.
Lexington Tattoo Expo
The best tattoo artists from around the world will gather in Lexington from July 3 to 6 for the second annual Lexington Tattoo Expo.
Tickets for the expo, taking place at the Central Bank Center, can be purchased at the door. Day passes are $20, and a full four-day pass for the entire expo costs $60.
Lexington Junior League Horse Show
The world’s largest outdoor American Saddlebred show is coming to Lexington from July 7 to 12. The show brings in about 1,000 globally recognized competitors and has raised more than $4 million for charitable and civic organizations in central Kentucky.
The show was established in 1937 to help fund the Junior League, an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership in the community.
Tickets are $15 for evening classes. Children 3 and younger are free.
Creed concert
Popular rock band Creed will kick off its 2025 Summer of ’99 tour in Rupp Arena on July 9. The Summer of ’99 tour began in 2024 but was extended to 2025 with 23 new shows, beginning with the concert in Lexington.
Creed was a popular band in the late 1990s and early 2000s that has risen back to fame in recent years. The band performed 70 times in 2024 and sold more than 865,000 tickets.
The show will also feature guest performances from Daughtry and Mammoth WVH. The show is sold out, but tickets can be purchased on the resale market.
River Adventures at Shaker Village
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill will host three showings of “River Adventures” at its riverboat theater July 11 to 13. The play will be held on a retired, and permanently docked, riverboat at historic Shaker Landing.
The play will feature iconic fictional characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, who will share favorite childhood memories with a cast of friends. Shaker Village has partnered with Lexington’s Adventure Theatre for the second year in a row to produce the play.
“The setting for this production couldn’t be more ideal,” Shaker Village President & CEO, Billy Rankin, said in a news release. “We are excited to welcome guests of all ages to experience an evening amongst the Kentucky River Palisades and enjoy an adventure with Tom and Huck.”
Tickets for the show are on sale. General admission passes are $50 while VIP admission passes for people 21 and older are $75.
Burton Cummings concert
Former lead singer and songwriter of The Guess Who, Burton Cummings, will perform a solo concert at the Lexington Opera House on July 17. Tickets for the show are on sale for as low as $74.25.
Cummings is regarded as Canadian rock ‘n’ roll royalty, according to the Central Bank Center’s web page for the show. Burton produced many hits with The Guess Who and became the first Canadian band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
The band broke up in 1975, and Cummings began a solo career. As a solo artist, he has produced hits “Stand Tall,” “I’m Scared,” “You Saved My Soul” and his signature “My Own Way to Rock.”
Lexington Restaurant Week
Several popular restaurants in Lexington are participating in this year’s Restaurant Week from July 17 to 27. Participating restaurants will feature temporary, special menus showcasing the restaurants’ creativity and tradition.
Blackberry Harvest Festival
Wildside Winery will host a Blackberry Harvest Festival at its Versailles property on July 19 and 20. Festival goers can get blackberry-themed treats such as blackberry cobbler, blackberry slushies and fresh blackberries straight from the orchard.
There will also be vendors and live music. The festival will run from noon to 7 p.m. on July 19 and noon to 5 p.m. on July 20.
Admission is free.
Candlelight: Tribute to Queen and The Beatles
Fans of Queen and The Beatles may enjoy a candlelight concert honoring the two bands at Limestone Hall on July 25. Lexington String Quartet will perform the bands’ hit songs, including The Beatles’ “Come Together” and “All You Need Is Love,” along with Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and many more.
Tickets to the show are on sale for as low as $44.50. All attendees must be 8 years old or older, and anyone younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Ballet Under the Stars
There will be five nights of professional ballet at Woodland Park from July 30 to Aug. 3.
Each event will begin with a pre-show youth production titled “A Broadway Ballet,” featuring dances inspired by Broadway favorites. The main show will feature professional dancers from the Kentucky Ballet Theatre.
The pre-shows begin at 8 p.m., while the main shows will begin one hour later. Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $9. Children 3 and younger are free.
