History
The firework show began in 1990 at Cardinal Stadium in the Kentucky Exposition Center, where more than 35,000 people attended a Derby Festival opening ceremonies concert by Janie Fricke and a 4,000-shell fireworks show. Thunder Over Louisville was originally inspired by the much larger WEBN Riverfest, Labor Day, fireworks display in Cincinnati, which has been a tradition since 1977. Fireworks had been used in Derby festivities since the 1960s, but the positive impact of fireworks on this concert—particularly the echoing sound—led to the firework show's name when it was held the following year over the Ohio River.
In 1991 the event moved to Waterfront Park, and Zambelli Fireworks Internationale's Master Pyrotechnician Ray Loffredo began handling the fireworks. The Air Show began in 1992, and has featured such notable aircraft as the Harrier, the B-2 (Stealth Bomber), and the F-117 (Stealth Fighter) as well as the Apache Attack Helicopter.
The event expanded rapidly in scale and attendance; by 1996 more shells were exploded in the first minute than in the entire 1990 show. In 1997, the Air Force designated Thunder Over Louisville as one of two main events for its 50th anniversary celebration. More than 125 military aircraft performed that year, making it the largest combined fireworks and air show in the United States.
The event relies heavily on corporate donations. In 2000, when Kroger pulled out after 10 years of sponsorship, the Kentucky Derby Festival was left scrambling for money. They announced the Thunder Funder program, in which individuals can make small donations. In 2006, McDonald's announced that they would be the title sponsor for Thunder Funder and donate 10 cents from the sale of every 32-ounce drink in a commemorative cup to the Derby Festival.
The fireworks show has grown in size and scope every year, with over 52,000 shells used in 2004, and 60,000 in 2005. In 2006, the fireworks show lasted for 26 minutes.
The 2007 event tied 2006 for record crowd, whose size was estimated at 800,000. Such counts do not include thousands of people who watch from area rooftops at "Thunder parties" held by individuals with proximity advantaged addresses in downtown, Old Louisville, Portland and the Butchertown neighborhood immediately upriver from downtown, as well as river adjacent neighborhoods in the Indiana communities of Clarksville and Jeffersonville.
Thunder Over Louisville, has been televised by local television stations since the early 1990s. The 2007 version was the first to be broadcast entirely in HDTV. Past telecasts have used two or three HDTV cameras for the broadcast. Each year, the show is rebroadcast on the 4th of July, on the U.S. military's American Forces Network.
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