Years active 1969 – present | ||
Dates Third weekend in September Location(s) | ||
The Gaslight Festival is an annual festival held in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. It takes place the 3rd Weekend of September and the week prior.
History
The Gaslight Festival began as a small street party in 1969; unofficially replacing the Jeffersontown Community Fair. It was created by the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the remodeling of the town square. The remodeling effort was initiated by the discovery of an original town gas lamp under the steps of a local which is how the festival got its name. However, the first festival was not actually held in the town square as the Mayor didn't want to have the remodeling damaged.
Today the festival has been moved to gaslight square and greatly expanded. It is an eight-day event beginning the Sunday before the 3rd weekend in September and attracts 200,000 visitors. Over this eight-day stretch several events take place such as a motorcycle rally, 5K road race, and a parade cumulating with the gaslight festival weekend.