LEXINGTON’S ULTIMATE 2021 SUMMER GUIDE
Did someone say staycation?
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.
SUMMER LIVE MUSIC SERIES
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.
At Moondance Ampitheater
JUN 1 DiMartino, Osland Little Big Band
JUN 8 Marlin McKay Quintet
JUN 15 Tim Lake and the Jazz Blues Persuaders
JUN 22 Ross Whitaker Jazz Trio
JUN 29 Lexington Summer Concert Band *patriotic concert*
JUL 2 The Metrognomes *patriotic concert, special Friday show*
At Ecton Park
JUL 6 Dan Brock & Friends
JUL 13 Walnut Street Ramblers
JUL 20 Osland/Dailey Jazztet
JUL 27 Ozone
AUG 3 Brass Impact
AUG 10 DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra (DOJO)
AUG 17 Young at Heart Big Band
FROM THE FRONT PORCH JAZZ
The Front Porch Jazz series at the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden on the corner of 3rd St. and Midland Ave.
JUL 10 From the Front Porch Jazz, 6 pm
AUG 28 From the Front Porch Jazz
NORTHSIDE NIGHTS
June’s new Northside Nights concerts are Thursdays at 7 pm on the lawn of the Loudoun House at Castlewood Park.
JUN 3 Seven Shades of Soul
JUN 10 Rae Camp Band
JUN 17 Band New
JUN 24 Miss Tina Fondren & Big Chill
July’s Northside Nights concerts are Thursdays at 7 pm at Douglass Park.
JUL 1 Tim Talbert Project
JUL 8 Honeychild
JUL 15 Benny J & Friends
JUL 29 One Sound Band
SOUTHLAND JAMBOREE
Southland Jamboree at Beaumont Center’s Moondance Amphitheater are on Thursdays at 7 pm.
JUN 17 Kenny and Amanda Smith
JUN 24 Ida Clare
JUL 8 Alan Bibey and Grasstowne
JUL 15 Blind Ricky
JUL 22 Hammertowne
AUG 19 Custom Made Bluegrass
AUG 26 Blue Eagle Band
SEP 16 Fenced In
SEP 23 Kentucky Wild Horse
SPRINGHOUSE MUSIC SERIES
The Springhouse Music Series at Castle & Key Distillery on the first Wednesday of the month from June through October. Gates open at 5 pm, live music at 6 pm.
JUL 7 Brett Higgins & Donnie Bowling
AUG 4 Lauren Mink
SEP 1 Jordan English
OCT 6 TBA
SUMMER NIGHTS IN SUBURBIA
Summer Nights in Suburbia at Moondance Amphitheater. Gates open at 5:30 pm, show is from 7 – 9 pm.
JUN 25 Second Hand News
JUL 23 The Other Brothers
AUG 27 Honeychild
SEP 24 C the Beat
TAHLSOUND MUSIC FESTIVAL
Each Tahlsound Music Festival event is the fourth Sunday of each month from April through September, held in the parking lot of a business on Southland at 5 pm.
JUN 27 The Wooks, Oleika Temple Great Lawn on Southland Drive
JUL 25 Johnson Brothers & The Bats, Oleika Temple Great Lawn on Southland Drive
AUG 22 Ben Sollee, Oleika Temple Great Lawn on Southland Drive
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE
Central Bank Thursday Night Live returns to Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in downtown Lexington on Thursday evenings from 5-8 pm.
JUL 1 Nightflyer: The Ultimate Eagles Tribute Band
JUL 8 Sixtyfourwest – Bill & Aaron
JUL 15 The Tim Talbert Project
JUL 22 Lauren Mink
JUL 29 Paul Childers
AUG 5 The Big Maracas
AUG 12 The Ranahans
AUG 19 Honeychild
AUG 26 Kenny Owens & Group Therapy
SEP 2 Mercy Men
SEP 9 Five Below Band
SEP 16 The Twiggenburys
SEP 23 The Johnson Brothers
SEP 30 Rebel Without A Cause
OCT 7 Kimberly Carter & Carrying On
TROUBADOUR CONCERTS AT THE KENTUCKY CASTLE
JUL 31 Riders in the Sky, 7 pm
SEP 8 John McEuen and the Mclain Family Band, 6:30 pm
WOODSONGS
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour returns to the Lyric Theatre in August. Mondays at 6:45 pm, watch live-as-it-happens via Woodssongs YouTube Channel.
AUG 16 Rhonda Vincent and the Rage
MUSIC FESTIVALS
The inaugural Midway Music Festival: Off the Rails is on Saturday, July 24.
Railbird Festival returns to Keeneland for its second festival on Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29.
SUMMER MOVIE SERIES
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 4 Frozen 2
JUN 11 The Croods 2
JUN 18 Trolls World Tour
JUN 25 Iron Giant
FAIRS + FESTS
THU JUN 3 The first official funnelcake of the season must traditionally be consumed at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Country Fair
THU JUN 10 The Bluegrass Fair is June 10 through June 20 at Masterson Station Park. Gates open 5 pm on weekdays & 3 pm on weekends
SAT JUN 12 Francisco’s Farm Art Fair in Midway, 10 am
SUN JUN 13 Francisco’s Farm Art Fair in Midway, 10 am
CANCELED: Festival of the Bluegrass 2021
JUL 3 There’s no Fourth of July Festival and Parade this year but Lexington’s Fourth of July celebration for this year includes fireworks at 10 pm and a twist on the Patriotic Concert
JUL 9-11 Berea Craft Festival in downtown Berea. Friday/Saturday 10am-6pm; Sunday 10am-5pm
JUL 16-18 BreyerFest 2021 (virtual event, no in-person event/activities at Kentucky Horse Park)
JUL 17 Keeneland Concours d’Elegance, 9 am – 4:30 pm
JUL 18 Diamond Rings & Pretty Things Wedding Show, 11am-4pm, Central Bank Center
JUL 24 Hops & Vine Festival, 2-10 pm, downtown Richmond, KY
AUG 14 Small Town America Festival, 10 am, Mt. Sterling
AUG 20-22 Natural Bridge Artisan Festival
AUG 21 & 22 Woodland Art Fair, Woodland Park
SEP 10-12 Festival of the Horse, downtown Georgetown. Fri 4pm‑10pm; Sat 11am‑10pm, Sun 11am‑5pm
SEP 11-12 Waveland Art Fair, Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 11am-5 pm
SEP 25 Phoenix Festival
SEP 26 Southland Street Fair, Southland Drive
HOME AND GARDEN
MAY
The perennially popular Down to Earth Plant sale hosted in May by the Down to Earth Garden Club at the Woodland Christian Church, was CANCELED for 2021 and hopes to return in May of 2022
JUNE
CANCELED: Kenwick Bungalow Tour
JUN 3 Lexington’s Chapter of Wild Ones presents Hummingbirds at Pollinators, 6:30 pm, St. Michael’s Church at Bellefonte
JUN 22 Fayette County Extension Office Gardening Workshops hosts Fall Blooming Perennials. Check ahead to see if the workshop is virtual or in-person. Visit fayette.ca.uky.edu and click the “Upcoming Events” tab
JUN 26 AND JUN 27 For the 2021 Open Gates to Bluegrass Living Garden Tour, Lexington Council Garden Clubs will host a self-guided tour of eight carefully curated Lexington gardens. This year’s participants include gardens on Sallee Drive, Meadowbrook Drive, Blenheim Drive, Kingsway, Hart Road, and Walton Avenue. Attendees may also tour the community garden at Ashland Terrace, located at 475 S. Ashland Ave. 1-5 pm both days
JULY 31 The Bluegrass Iris Society hosts their annual club fundraiser Iris Sale, 10 am, the lower level of Lexington Green (They always sell out early. Trust us.)
AUG 5 Wild Ones Picnic, 6:30 pm, Unitarian Universalist Church at 3564 Clays Mill Road
ARTS + LIT
JUN 26 Paint the Town 2021. Artists will spend the day painting cityscapes throughout downtown Lexington
JUN 27 – JUL 17 Kentucky Performing Arts announced Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) returns to in-person and traditional instruction at the University of Kentucky this summer
AUG 3-8 Ballet Under the Stars, Woodland Park
AUG 14 Picnic with the Pops
SEP 16-19 An abbreviated version of the typical 10-day Chamber Music Festival of Lexington returns
RUN FOR IT
JUN 5 Lexington Humane Society’s Mutt Strut, 8 am, Keeneland
JUN 5 North Lime Donut Dash 3K, 8 am, Wellington Park
JUN 12 Run for the Nun, 8 am, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
JUN 19 – 27 The Hundred Acre 5K (virtual)
JUN 19 Wild Hearts Fun Run Superhero 5K & 10K, 8 am, Keeneland
JUN 26 No Greater Honor 5K, 8 am, Keeneland
JUN 26 RJ Corman 5K, 8 am, Wilmore downtown
JUL 2-4 Virtual Great Buffalo Chase 5K
JUL 3 Bluegrass 10,000, 8 am, downtown Lexington
JUL 9 Distillery Dash 5k/10k, 7 pm, Masterson Station Park
JUL 16 Crank & Boom Sprint for Scoops 3K, 7:30 pm, Wellington Park
JUL 16-18 BreyerFest 5K Virtual Run/Walk
JUL 24 Christmas in July 6K, 8 am, Coldstream Research Park
JUL 24 Shepherd’s House Run For Recovery, 8 am, Keeneland
JUL 30 Radler Rush Cross Country 5k/10k, 7 pm, Masterson Station Park
AUG 14 Midsummer Night’s Run, 7:30 pm, downtown Lexington
AUG 21 DV8K Life Changing Run, 8 am, Keeneland
AUG 22 Kids Triathlon, 7:30 am, Beaumont YMCA
AUG 27 Cabernet Canter Cross Country 5k/10k, 7 pm, Talon Winery
AUG 27 Cupcake Classic 3K, 7:30pm, Wellington Park
POOLS
MAY 29 Aquatic Centers at Southland, Tates Creek, Woodland, and Castlewood open
JUN 5 Pools at Shillito and Douglass open
The spraygrounds at Masterson Station Park and Jacobson Park are already open daily, and the Jacobson boat dock is open on the weekends
EAT AND DRINK
THU JUN 17 – SUN JUN 27 SoulFest Week
THU JUL 22 – SUN AUG 1 Lexington Restaurant Week
SAT AUG 7 Kentucky Wine & Vine Festival, 1-9 pm, Nicholasville
SPORTS
JUL 1, 15, 22 Thirsty Thursdays + Bark in the Park, Lexington Legends, 6 pm
JUL 12-17 Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show, Kentucky Horse Park
JUL 15-18 Barbasol Championships, Keene Trace
AUG 5 Thirsty Thursdays + Bark in the Park, Lexington Legends, 6 pm
SEP 2, 9, 23, 30 Thirsty Thursdays + Bark in the Park, Lexington Legends, 6 pm
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This summer guide also appears on page 8, 9, and 10 of the June 2021 print edition of ace magazine.
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