Louisville’s Sidewalk Derby has graced the streets of Louisville with more than 500 vibrantly decorated fiberglass statues since 2004 to help beautify our community. The stable of statue designs has ranged from life-sized horses in varying poses to chess pieces to six-foot-tall julep cups. Each statue is unique.

Events

Gallopalooza Live Auction

Friday, October 4, 2024

Stay tuned for details on the Gallopalooza Live Auction on Friday, October 4, 2024 at Louisville Marriott East! The list of statues that will go to the highest bidder will be announced in mid-August and will include tabletop and full-size horse statues.

To receive updates and ticket information, please email michelle@brightsidefoundation.com.

 

Sponsorship Opportunities

 

Become a Sponsor

Louisville’s Sidewalk Derby

Gallopalooza was created as a civic pride initiative to beautify the streets of Louisville, encourage local exploration, increase tourism, showcase local artists and generate civic pride. Since its inception in 2003, Gallopalooza has supported Brightside and its community beautification efforts along with partnering with Waterfront Development Corporation in 2015 to help fund the special LED lighting project on the Big Four pedestrian bridge that connects downtown Louisville to Jeffersonville, Indiana.

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Gallopalooza Horse 2015

2015

For the third round of Gallopalooza, Mike and Beth Keyes co-chaired “Bridles & Bourbon” sponsored by Brown-Forman. Two new statue designs were added to the stable … a miniature horse atop of half bourbon barrel and a six-foot-tall julep cup … along with a traditional horse statue to help celebrate Louisville’s fast-growing bourbon scene and infrastructure. In addition to supporting Brightside’ mission, this round of Gallopalooza helped to fund the special LED lighting on the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge in partnership with Waterfront Development Corporation.

Where are they now?

Gallopalooza Horse 2009

2009

Gallopalooza returned for a second time under the theme of “Possibility City” and was chaired by Matt Thornton, President and CEO of Thorntons Inc., which served as the presenting sponsor and brought 223 new statues to the streets.

2004 Gallopalooza Horse

2004

Gallopalooza began when John Conti, CEO of John Conti Coffee Co., visited Chicago. He noticed attention-grabbing, eccentrically decorated cow statues and knew the concept would be a big hit in Louisville. So in 2003, he sought the support of Metro Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson. Mayor Abramson believed the idea would be an ideal way to raise dollars for the city’s Brightside program. With such support, Gallopalooza: Louisville’s Sidewalk Derby took off out of the gate. This first round was chaired by John Conti and Meijer was the presenting sponsor.

Where are they now? 

From downtown’s museum row on Main Street to business storefronts and individual homes throughout Louisville, Gallopalooza’s herd has moved over the years as each statue has gone from sponsors to public displays to their current homes.

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