Kentucky Derby Party Games

Hosting a Kentucky Derby party can be fun, but a lot of work at the same time. As the host or hostess you want to be sure that guests get along with one another and are able to spark conversations. Plan Kentucky Derby party games to keep guests entertained, amused and intrigued about the rest of the event. Organize games that bring well-known traditions of the Kentucky Derby to life.

Kentucky Derby game ideas include:

• Hat Contest: Request that all women in attendance of the party wear their decorative hats. Have all the ladies stand in the front of the room, shoulder to shoulder. Give each woman a unique number to hold on a piece of paper. Hand out small pieces of paper and pens to the men. Ask the men to vote for their favorite hat by writing down the number that particular woman is holding in her hand. The winner of the favorite hat is awarded a bouquet of red roses with ribbon wrapped around the stems.

• Souvenir Glasses: When sending out party invitations to guests, request that they bring their oldest Kentucky Derby Souvenir glass in order to participate in a game. When it is party time, ask all guests who brought a glass to stand in the front of the room. Ask each guest to read off the number of the Kentucky Derby that is on his or her souvenir glass. Each time a person says a number, that person places themselves appropriately in the line to keep the order. The guest with the oldest souvenir glass wins a prize!

• Mint Juleps: Purchase all of the necessary ingredients to make multiple mint julep cocktails. Ingredients include mint sprigs, bourbon whiskey, powdered sugar, crushed ice and water. Boil the sugar and water in advance of the party. Place the ingredients, along with glasses and a group of straws on a table in the front of the room. Ask for five volunteers (guests) to stand by the table containing the mint julep ingredients. Give the volunteers a total of two minutes to make their best mint julep cocktail. After the cocktails are ready to be served, ask Kentucky Derby party guests to try all five drinks, and select their favorite. Award the winner of the favorite mint julep cocktail with a prize.