Ace’s Annual Summer Guide is all about “Save the Date.”
Lexington is such an embarrassment of riches in the summertime, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening and when.
Yes, we do all have 482,000 digital reminders at our literal fingertips all day everyday (and this Guide is available digitally as well), but sometimes you just want to see an entire Summer of options laid out in front of you!
Long before a pandemic entered the lexicon and kept everyone at home, Lexington has always been brimming with summer staycation options.
Once again, the city is anything but sleepy this summer.
From live music to movie series and dozens of Fairs and Fests, Lexington has something for everyone, in every neighborhood, nearly every week this summer.
*As always, times and dates are subject to change. Confirm with the venue.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
JUN 15 Playthink Festival, Harrodsburg
JUN 25 Paint the Town, downtown Lex
JULY 8 Berea Craft Festival
JUL 16 Concours d’Elegance, Keeneland
JUL 16 GonzoFest, Louisville
AUG 6 Shaker Village Craft Fair
AUG 13 Picnic with the Pops (Motown), Keeneland
AUG 20 Woodland Art Fair
SEP 10 Waveland Art Fair
OCT 1 Wilmore Arts and Crafts Festival
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Lexington’s 10th annual downtown plein air painting extravaganza, Paint the Town, is Saturday June 25, 2022. Artists will spend the day painting cityscapes throughout downtown Lexington.
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The 2022 Concours d’Elegance at Keeneland will feature Porsche as this year’s featured marque and will include four classes, Air Cooled, Water Cooled, “356” and Race Car.
EAT AND DRINK
JUN 11 Beer Cheese Festival, Winchester
JUN 18 Kentucky Wine and Vine Fest, Nicholasville
JUN 20 SoulFeast Week, Lexington
JUN 25 the 25th Annual Ashland Lawn Party, Ashland Henry Clay Estate
JUL 16 Sweet Corn Festival, Georgetown
JULY 21-31 Lexington Restaurant Week
JUL 23 Hops and Vine Craft Beer and Wine Festival, Richmond
SEP 2 Kentucky State BBQ Festival, Danville
SEP 8 Fireman’s Chili Kickoff, Georgetown
SEP 14 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown
SEP 15 Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville
SoulFeast Week is a traditional food week featuring black-owned restaurants in Lexington, Kentucky. Participating restaurants will create a unique, off-menu food entree for $10. In partnership with Black Soil KY, each food entree must feature at least one ingredient sourced from a black farmer or producer in Kentucky. June 20 through June 26 at participating restaurants.
FAIRS + FESTS
JUN 4 Southland Street Fair
JUN 9 Bluegrass Fair begins 
JUN 11 Francisco’s Farm Art Fair, Midway
JUN 25 Lexington Pride Festival
JUL 4 Lexington’s July 4th Festival
AUG 13 Small Town America Festival, Mt. Sterling
SEP 9 Roots and Heritage Festival
SEP 9 Festival of the Horse, Georgetown
SEP 17 Midway Fall Festival
HOME AND GARDEN
JUN 12 Hartland Tour of Homes
JUL 31 Bluegrass Iris Society’s Annual Iris Sale, Lexington Green
AUG 27 Tour of Remodeled Homes
SEP-OCT Grand Tour of Homes
HORSE
JUN 5 Polo practices and matches begin, KY Horse Park
JUL 11 Lexington’s Junior League Horse Show begins, KY Horse Park
JUL 15 Breyerfest, KY Horse Park
JUL 30 Hats off to Kentucky Horses Day, KY Horse Park
JUL 31 Live Racing, Red Mile (thru Oct 9)
SEP 2 KHP Foundation Battle in the Saddle, KY Horse Park
SEP 9 Festival of the Horse, Georgetown
SEP 12 Keeneland’s September Yearling Sales begin
OCT 7 Keeneland Fall Meet begins
OCT 26 National Horse Show, KY Horse Park
NOV 4 Breeders Cup, Keeneland
Weather permitting, Polo public matches are held between June 1st through the end of September at the Kentucky Horse Park. Practices take place Wednesdays/Fridays at 5:30 PM and matches at 3 pm on Sundays.
LIVE MUSIC
BIG BAND & JAZZ
Big Band & Jazz is Lexington’s longest running and outdoor concert series held weekly from 7-8:30 pm at Moondance in June and Ecton Park in July.
Moondance Amphitheater
JUN 7 DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra
JUN 14 Walnut Street Ramblers
JUN 21 Brass Impact
JUN 28 Lexington Summer Concert Band
Ecton Park
JUL 5 Miles Osland Little Big Band w/ Vince DiMartino
JUL 12 Brett Evans Trombone Jazz Ensemble
JUL 19 Ozmosis
JUL 26 Tim Lake and the Blue Jazz Persuaders
AUG 2 Uncle Sam’s Bait Shop
AUG 9 Osland/Dailey Jazztet
NORTHSIDE NIGHTS
June’s Northside Nights concerts are Thursdays at 6:30 pm on the lawn of the Loudon House at Castlewood Park.
JUN 10 The Positive Movement Band
JUN 24 Special Sessions
JUL 8 Benny J & Friends
JUL 22 Elite 7 Band
AUG 5 1SoundBand
AUG 19 The Tim Talbert Project
SEP 2 Rhythm & Soul
SOUTHLAND JAMBOREE
Southland Jamboree at Beaumont Center’s Moondance Amphitheatre are on Thursdays at 7 pm.
JUN 2 Jim Hurst Bluegrass Band
JUN 9 Fast Track
JUN 16 Blue Eagle Band
JUN 23 Custom Made Bluegrass
JUN 30 Wolfpen Branch
JUL 7 Maddie Murray and Darren Wasson Band
JUL 14 Hammertowne
JUL 21 Cane Run Bluegrass
JUL 28 Alan Bibey & Grasstowne
AUG 4 Olde Towne Project
AUG 11 Don Rigsby
AUG 18 Ida Clare
AUG 25 New Coon Creek Girls Reunion
SEP 1 Fenced In
SUMMER NIGHTS IN SUBURBIA
Summer Nights in Suburbia are at Moondance Amphitheater, 7 pm.
JUN 3 DJ Rice Band
JUN 17 Lauren Mink Band
JUL 1 Bedford Band
JUL 15 Brother Smith
JUL 29 Honeychild
AUG 12 DeeOhGee
AUG 26 NVRMND
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
Central Bank Thursday Night Live returns to Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in downtown Lexington on Thursday evenings from 5-8 pm.
JUN 2 Five Below Band
JUN 9 Paul Childers
JUN 16 The Johnson Brothers
JUN 23 64West
JUN 30 Eagles Tribute Band
JUL 7 Honeychild
JUL 14 The Ranahans
JUL 21 Boogie G & The Titanics
JUL 28 Encore of Lexington
AUG 4 The Big Maracas
AUG 11 Tim Talbert Project
AUG 18 The Twiggenburys
AUG 25 Kenny Owens & Group Therapy
SEP 1 Mercy Men
SEP 8 The Binders
SEP 15 Canvas
SEP 22 Rebel Without A Cause
SEP 29 Superfecta
OCT 6 Mojo Tones
CONCERTS, TOURS AND MUSIC FESTIVALS
JUN 2 The Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville
JUN 3 Kentucky R&B Fest, KFC Yum (Louisville)
JUN 21 The Chicks Tour, Riverbend (Cinci)
JUN 23 Kenny Chesney, Riverbend (Cinci)
JUN 26 New Kids on the Block, Rupp Arena 
JUL 12 Rod Stewart, Riverbend (Cinci)
JUL 14 The Cult, Riverbend (Cinci)
JUL 15 Master Musicians Festival, Somerset
JUL 21 Jimmy Buffett, Riverbend (Cinci)
JUL 23 Steve Earle and the Dukes, The Burl
JUL 30 Outlaw Music Festival, Riverbend (Cinci)
AUG 25 Jason Aldean, Riverbend (Cinci)
SEP 3 The Black Keys, Riverbend (Cinci)
SEP 6 Backstreet Boys, Rupp Arena
SEP 9 Alan Jackson, Rupp
SEP 15-18 Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville
SEP 17 Kentucky Heritage Jazz Festival, Harrodsburg
SEP 22-25 Louder than Life, Louisville
Railbird Festival is sitting out 2022, and will return in 2023 with a new location at Red Mile.
SUMMER MOVIES
Free Friday Flicks at Jacobson Park
Friday Flicks offers an evening of activities and a movie beginning Fridays in June. Movies don’t start til dusk.
JUN 3 Raya and the Last Dragon
JUN 10 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
JUN 17 Sing 2
JUN 24 Encanto
Hollywood Classics
The Hollywood Classics series returns to the Kentucky Theatre this summer after a pandemic-paused hiatus.
JUN 1 Roman Holiday, 1953
JUN 8 Star Wars, 1977
JUN 15 A Patch of Blue, 1965
JUN 22 Goldfinger, 1964
JUN 29 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
JUL 6 The Big Sleep, 1946
JUL 13 An American Werewolf in London, 1981
JUL 20 Sleeping Beauty, 1959
JUL 27 Bonnie and Clyde, 1967
AUG 3 Stand By Me, 1986
AUG 10 The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1956
AUG 17 West Side Story, 1961
AUG 24 Shakespeare in Love, 1998
AUG 31 The Godfather, 1972
SEP 7 The Big Lebowski, 1998
Harry Dean Stanton Fest
Lexington’s Harry Dean Stanton Fest is July 15 – 17 and will feature special guest Allison Anders. Before she directed American independent classics like GAS FOOD LODGING and MI VIDA LOCA, one of Anders’ first film jobs was on the set of Paris, Texas where a right place/right time encounter with Harry Dean Stanton helped him connect to the character of Travis and helped her unlock her talent in working with actors. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
RUN FOR IT
JUN 4 Run for the Nun 5k, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
JUN 11 Donut Dash 3k
JUN 18 Wild Hearts Superhero 5k
JUL 4 Bluegrass 10,000
AUG 13 Midsummer Night’s Run 5k
AUG 20 DV8K Life Changing Run
AUG 26 Cupcake Classic 3k
SEP 30 Bourbon Chase Relay
SPORTS
JUL 7 PGA Barbasol Championship (thru Jul 11), Nicholasville
AUG 1 Lexington Challenger Tennis Tourney, Boone Tennis Complex
