By 
Denver friends!! I wanted to hop on here real quick on this Saturday to tell you about a super fun event happening downtown in two weeks—the Denver Mini Derby! The Denver Mini Derby features craft cocktails, best-dressed contests, and a viewing of the Kentucky Derby on the big screen. The best part? They also race mini horses and Corgis! How fun and unique is that?! It’s the perfect excuse to dress up and wear an over-the-top headpiece.
My parents went to the real Kentucky Derby once when they were newlyweds, and my dad told me that the very wealthy man sitting next to him at the event—who ended up winning his bets—slipped my dad a hundred-dollar bill to “get something nice for his sweetheart”. I always thought that story was so cute and have wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby ever since!
Of course, a trip to Louisville is a little out of the question at this stage in my life, so the Denver Mini Derby is a fun and much more affordable alternative. I first heard about the event when I was a freshman in college. I would have loved to go back then, but I couldn’t justify it on a college budget. I’m so excited to finally be able to attend this year, and I’ll be taking my aunt with me!
The Denver Mini Derby benefits Next Step Horse Rescue, a non-profit based in Colorado Springs that helps retrain and rehabilitate horses from across the country that have been abused and neglected. This year’s event takes place in exactly two weeks on Saturday, May 6, from 1pm – 6pm. General admission gets you in the door and gives you access to the open bar. VIP entry (if you take your Derby Day a little more seriously) comes with a VIP-only bar and a BBQ. You can purchase your tickets here! They are tiered though, so if you’re considering attending the event, I recommend buying tickets now before prices increase again. The event sells out every year.
Doesn’t this sound like so much fun? I’m SO excited to attend and finally do something exciting on Derby Day. Of course, I’m also pondering what to wear… I have lots of dress options but only one beige fascinator that I thrifted while in Scotland. Beige isn’t the most exciting color for a spring headpiece, but I also have a hard time justifying buying something new when this is probably the only occasion I would ever wear a fascinator, ha. You can check out my contending dresses in this Reel (be sure to let me know which is your favorite!), and I also rounded up some cute dresses and headpieces to shop at the end of this post. The fascinators are all pretty cheap ones, mostly from Amazon, but there are some gorgeous hats out there (I love this one). You just have to pay a pretty penny for them!
Have you ever watched the Kentucky Derby on TV or done anything fun for Derby Day? Turns out, there’s lot of Derby parties in the Denver metro area, but I think the Denver Mini Derby is by far the most involved (I mean, who else races Corgis?! So random).
I look forward to sharing another blog post with my outfit and pics from the event in May.
Miles of smiles,
Grace