The tickets: $61,497.<\/p>\n
The hotel: $24,708.<\/p>\n
The experience: \u201cUnforgettable,\u201d said Charlie Rivkin, the chairman and chief executive officer of Motion Pictures Association.<\/p>\n
Rivkin was one of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg\u2019s select guests for this year\u2019s Kentucky Derby. He and others posted photos of their festivities on Instagram \u2014 showing scenes inside a jockey locker room and views from a rooftop terrace. In one image, the group poses with members of NSYNC. In another, Rivkin smiles alongside Sen. Mitch McConnell.<\/p>\n
As in years past, Greenberg used taxpayer money to treat his guests to the multiday visit to Churchill Downs. This year, the party cost $95,000.<\/p>\n
Matt Mudd, the mayor\u2019s spokesman, defended the use of public money in an email. He said Greenberg was honored to host the sports and entertainment executives and the Derby is a \u201cgreat opportunity to bring in new investments, new events, and expand existing events that energize our community, support local businesses, and boost our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mudd said city officials want to bring the 2036 PGA Championship back to Louisville<\/a> at Valhalla Golf Club.<\/p>\n Derby party price tag details come as Greenberg proposes some cuts in what he said would be a \u201cchallenging\u201d city budget<\/a> for next fiscal year. He wants to slash funding for conservation groups and cut about 50 jobs, according to the Courier Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of Greenberg\u2019s top challengers in the upcoming mayoral election<\/a>, Louisville Metro Council Member Shameka Parrish-Wright, a District 3 Democrat, said the cost of Greenberg\u2019s Derby party is a \u201csignificant amount to spend right now, especially with proposed cuts elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the focus needs to be on fiscal responsibility,\u201d Parrish-Wright said. \u201cI would not spend our public tax dollars that way. Greenberg and his guest have more than enough money.\u201d<\/p>\n The cost of the mayor\u2019s Derby party this year is cheaper than prior years. In 2023, for instance, LPM News reported<\/a> Greenberg spent $180,000 hosting executives from LinkedIn, the WNBA and Walt Disney Television, among others.<\/p>\n In addition to Rivkin, this year\u2019s guest list included:<\/p>\n Susan Tolson, Motion Picture AssociationTerry and Sarah Clark, PGA of AmericaNathan and Eva Charnes, PGA of AmericaDanny and Kathi Wimmer, Bourbon & Beyond, Louder than LifeJosh and Abbey Heird, University of Louisville<\/p>\n Tickets for the group made up the bulk of the cost \u2014 12 seats at tables in the refined Stakes Room for Oaks and Derby cost $61,500, the records show.<\/p>\n Hotel rooms for out-of-town guests cost around $30,000. Last year, officials spent nearly $49,000 housing guests at the artsy 21c Museum and Hotel that Greenberg ran as chief executive before he was mayor. The selection of 21c drew questions from city lawmakers<\/a> because officials avoided Metro Council scrutiny when they tapped the local tourism agency to make the hotel reservations. City officials promised to open the Derby hotel contract up for competitive bidding<\/a> after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting revealed 21c got the gig.<\/p>\n This year, the mayor\u2019s guests stayed at Hotel Genevieve in NuLu, where Derby weekend rooms cost $1,400 a night, according to records obtained by KyCIR.<\/p>\n The invites \u2014 designed by Louisville-based Relay Design \u2014 came to $1,300.<\/p>\n Last year, Greenberg hosted<\/a> the owners of the Louisville Bats, a pair of Texas philanthropists and a few Hollywood executives. In 2024, the crowd included<\/a> golf bosses, local business leaders, a whiskey maker, a designer and the chief executive of Impossible Foods.<\/p>\n Before Greenberg, former Mayor Greg Fischer spent<\/a> hundreds of thousands of dollars on Derby parties with guest lists he fought<\/a> to keep secret.<\/p>\n In contrast, Greenberg is open about his guests.<\/p>\n He catalogued his time at this year\u2019s Derby on his social media accounts with splashy edits from the track and group photos of the party with his family, friends and celebrities.<\/p>\n In one, he\u2019s in a pastel suit and white sneakers under the gleaming, giant post clock in the revamped paddock. His arm around his wife, Rachel, and his guests flanking each side.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil next year,\u201d the caption reads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The tickets: $61,497. The hotel: $24,708. 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