Flooding Causes Cancellation of Louisville Airshow

Rising Ohio River creates unprecedented issues for the annual Thunder Over Louisville event in Kentucky.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, April 09, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An airshow involves aerial acts and typically takes about a year to plan. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Thunder Over Louisville, the annual airshow and fireworks event preceding the Kentucky Derby, has been canceled.
The cancellation is due to severe flooding from heavy rains and the rising Ohio River, which has caused significant damage and multiple deaths.
The event, originally scheduled for April 12, cannot be rescheduled this year due to logistical complexities but is expected to return in 2026.
Other Kentucky Derby Festival events and the Derby itself are currently still on schedule.

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Thunder Over Louisville, the annual airshow and fireworks extravaganza that marks the beginning of the festivities leading up to the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse race on May 3, has been canceled due to flooding.

Festival and city officials made the decision on Saturday, citing concerns over heavy rains and the rising Ohio River. Photographs and video of the area show what once were streets and riverbanks covered in brown water and layers of silt and trash and flooded neighborhoods with images of submerged homes and cars. Thunder Over Louisville officials noted there had been several deaths attributed to the flooding, and the assessment of the damage was expected to continue.