This incredible footage of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville Kentucky from the year 1938 is a rare sight to see. This was already the 64th annual Kentucky Derby, and you can see clearly in the video that the event was drawing in huge crowds into the city to celebrate, creating great revenue for businesses here. Large banners can be seen in the footage posted outside of these businesses, welcoming the many visitors to Louisville.

Kentucky Derby
Downtown you can see the streets lined with cars characteristic of the 30s, inching along in traffic beneath the bright business signs glittering below the night sky. This street is Broadway, as you can see the Brown Hotel on the immediate right in the video and the large crowd waiting at its entrance on the sidewalk. Interestingly, you can hear the muddled conversation and honking cars in this original audio of our city during the busiest time of the year.

This footage also offers a detailed view of the apparel and pre-derby celebrations that took place the night before. Men and women were both dressed elegantly, walking around what seems to be the interior of the Brown Hotel, as well as dancing in the ornate ballroom as food and drinks are being served. The video then cuts to a scene of a bartender assembling mint juleps, Louisville’s specialty cocktail. Finally, the video shows footage of the crowds outside of the track as well as documentation of the race itself, as audio of the crowd shouting cuts in and out.

Watch the video below, from youtube user footagefarm.

This video is an incredible view into the history of Louisville in the 1930s during our most famous event. Most cities might watch a video from the 1930s and be surprised to see how much has changed, but this rare footage shows us exactly how much culture and tradition we have preserved in Louisville spanning nearly 80 years. Let us know what you think about this historic footage in the comments below or on Facebook!

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