It's the first weekend in May, so our fair city is all about one thing: drinking. OK, it's actually all about drinking and a certain horse race that happens late afternoon on Saturday.
Whether you're going to the track or just to a backyard barbecue, you'll find that Louisville is greatly altered from its usual laid-back charm this weekend. It's either a ridiculous traffic jam or it's completely deserted. (Ask me about that one Derby Day when I sat in the middle of U.S. 42 during the race because there were no cars at all on the road for about 30 minutes. Actually, don't ask me about it.)
We've found a few interesting things for you to do, though, that are off that beaten path.
You could hit up the 50 Cent Derby Eve Takeover at Club Liv (133 W. Liberty St.), which runs from 11:30 p.m. Friday until Saturday at 6 a.m.. It includes food by Louisville's vaunted Seafood Lady and breakfast served at 4 a.m.
Other music around town on Friday night includes Trampled By Turtles at Iroquois Amphitheater and a solo acoustic show with Citizen Cope at Headliners Music Hall.
Also on Friday night, the Tim Faulkner Gallery hosts an art opening featuring the work of James Russell May, a Louisville-based painter whose work hearkens back to the Old Masters. Hors d'oeuvres, drinks and the artist will all be present from 6-10 p.m. The evening will also include a screening of a short documentary about "Resurfaced," the pop-up urban experiment that brought bourbon and music to a vacant lot on Main Street.
If you're still looking to go out on Saturday night (and you don't have dinner reservations already), head over to the Ice House for "Art, Beats and Lyrics," presented by Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. It's a traveling art and hip-hop show, and presumably you can procure some whiskey there as well. It's free, 21 and over only, and you can RSVP here.
