The Kentucky Derby is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States, and it's also a great excuse to throw a party. And since we live in Kentucky, of course we always like to host a Kentucky Derby party for our friends! If you're planning to host your own Kentucky Derby party, we have a few tips and ideas to help you get started.

Here are four main elements for hosting a Kentucky Derby party:

• Set up a Derby betting pool
• Plan your Derby menu
• Decorate your Derby party space
• Have some fun activities
• Don't forget the music!

Set up a Derby betting pool

One of the most fun things about the Kentucky Derby is betting on the race. You could set up a betting pool with your guests, and the winner could take home a prize. You can find our betting pool tips and the list of horses with our Derby betting pool spreadsheet.

If you want to take your betting window to the next level, check out the signage and betting slips available in our huge Kentucky Derby printables collection (more on that later!)

Plan your Kentucky Derby party menu

No Kentucky Derby party is complete without food. You can choose from classic Derby fare, Kentucky favorites, or any good southern recipes.

Here are five of our favorite Kentucky Derby party recipes:

• Classic Kentucky Hot Browns
• Mint Juleps, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby
• Traditional Kentucky Derby pies for dessert
• Bourbon balls, a dessert that also makes great party favors.
• Easy Rose-covered cake

Chica's traditional Kentucky Hot Browns, created in appetizer size, are perfect for serving to guests.

And my knockoff Derby pie recipe is so delicious that guests may want to take a slice home. Keep reading for more info about these adorable printable pie slice boxes.

Decorate your Kentucky Derby party space

If you're hosting your Derby party at home, make sure to decorate your space with festive decorations. You could hang up streamers, balloons, and banners, and you could even set up a photo booth with props like the giant hats that are iconic attire for Derby attendees.

Balloon arch and giant paper roses

Our biggest decorative element at our last Derby party was an asymmetrical balloon arch that we made with white and black balloons. To take it over the top, I used the paper rose pattern from The Art Dream to make three very large roses. We love how they add that pop of color against the black and white balloons.

Turf backdrop and party banner

From there, the decorations were full of fun items from our Kentucky Derby printables collection, such as the custom banner that we hung on the artificial turf backdrop. (This was a piece of inexpensive outdoor carpeting that we picked up at the hardware store.)

Paper prize ribbons

My favorite thing might just be these adorable paper prize ribbons. I had so much fun making them using the tutorial and designs in our Derby printable set.

Bourbon ball party favors

I used my own special bourbon balls recipe to make treats for the guests, and turned them into the perfect Derby party favor by packaging them in our bourbon barrel inspired boxes favor boxes.

More printable partyware and decor

Cupcakes are always a crowd pleaser, and our Derby cupcake picks add a festive touch to some standard red velvet cupcakes.

The printables set also includes wraps for your cutlery making it easy for guests to grab and go!

We love our popcorn boxes. They can be filled with anything you want, from snacks to toys to betting slips. We filled them with popcorn for an easy snack for guests to grab before watching the race itself on the big screen.

The cute little "Win", "Place", and "Show" straw flags work great with the water bottle wrappers.

Derby themed Cupcake Collars

We also designed some special Derby-themed Cupcake Collars that you can use to make easy cupcakes shaped like red roses, jockey silks, or horseshoes!

Have some fun Derby party activities

In addition to watching the race, you could also have some fun activities at your party. You could set up a horse race game, or you could have a fashion show with prizes for the best dressed guest. Our Kentucky Derby party games in the past have included a hat contest, jockey silk decorating contest, and toy horse decorating contest.

Derby hat contest

The Kentucky Derby is famous for its parade of hats.  One year, I asked guests to design their own derby hats to wear to the party.  There were some huge and wonderfully obnoxious entries, and I loved every one.

Jockey silk design contest

The colorful silks the jockeys wear are one of my favorite sites at the races.  For this contest, I just gave my guests a plain coloring page template for inspiration and let them do whatever they wanted.  I expected everyone to just color the pages, but many guests got really creative with three-dimensional designs, like a cake!

Horse decorating contest

There couldn't be a Kentucky Derby without horses!  This was the most difficult contest to put together, but was also the most worth it.  I gave each guest a plastic toy horse that I had spray painted plain white and told them to decorate it however they liked. Everyone had so much fun with this, and years later, and I still see a lot of these decorated horses in my friends' offices and homes.  Look at all that creativity!

Play Derby party music

The Kentucky Derby is a festive event, so be sure to have some music playing at your party. Bluegrass music is the truest form of Kentucky music but you could also put on a playlist of Southern rock and country music, or you could hire a DJ to keep the party going. The song "My Old Kentucky Home" is always played as the horses go to the gate for the race.