Launching a Festival Around a Legacy Horse Race—And What Event Pros Can Learn From It

BALTIMORE, MD.—Unlike the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes—the thoroughbred horse race known as the second jewel of the Triple Crown—does not bare its location in its name. A casual racing fan might not remember that, on the third Saturday of May, the race takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. A new festival that will launch the day before this year’s race, on May 20, wants to make sure they won’t forget.

Preakness LIVE Culinary, Art & Music Festival is meant to champion the race’s connection to Baltimore, showing off the city’s best in music, art, fashion, food, sports, and community during this revered weekend. The new event comes from 1/ST EXPERIENCE and Baltimore’s own Kevin Liles, CEO and Chairman of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group.

The festival will bring big artists like Ms. Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion to the infield stages, as well as native Baltimore talent like country star Brittney Spencer and Soulful Symphony with Darin Atwater. Preakness LIVE will also debut Restaurant Row, offering concessions from a diverse slate of local eateries, and an art activation dubbed "The Last Resort Art Garden."

Soulful Symphony with Darin AtwaterPhoto: Stephen Cherry

“Our team at 1/ST EXPERIENCE has been working hard to—over the past four years since we took over producing the event—put together an amazing product that we think is ready to go to the next level, with the addition of a Friday night event and the launch of Preakness LIVE,” said Jimmy Vargas, CEO of 1/ST EXPERIENCE.

He adds, “The Preakness is such a legacy event that carries a massive global audience, but I think from a local perspective, we needed to tap in and do more work with some of the cultural mavens in the market to help create something that’s very unique and specific to Baltimore.”

How do you launch a new, exciting event around a legacy horse race while being mindful of the community and the reverence for the event? Vargas walked us through how the 1/ST EXPERIENCE team worked with Baltimore’s Park Heights community, where Pimlico Race Course resides, and brought something fresh to the nearly 150-year-old race. We gleaned these two pivotal tips.

1. Incorporate modern twists while still respecting traditions.
For example, one of the final traditions before a horse race like the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness Stakes begins is the command of “Riders up!” which lets jockeys know its time to mount their horses. A few years ago, Vargas said an entire arrangement around this moment was created for a symphony to perform at the Preakness Stakes.

This year, the marching band from Morgan State University, Maryland’s largest HBCU, will perform “Riders Up” ahead of Preakness 147.

“When we start talking about producing large events, especially large events tied to legacy sports, it’s about how do you create that connection between the two?” Vargas said. “It’s a lot of listening and seeing what your average race fan wants [from] their experience, and how do you complement that, but then also create new offerings, so that others who might not be race fans can come and have a great day at the track where it’s all encompassing—great culinary offerings, great entertainment, great art, great fashion—and hopefully they become racing fans. I think it’s about how you expand on what seems to be a blueprint and start to create more, as far as offerings go, and being able to widen your audience and your outreach.”

2. Build a connection to the community you’re hosting in.
Supporting and engaging with Baltimore’s Park Heights community was a top priority for 1/ST EXPERIENCE when producing Preakness LIVE, Vargas said. The team has been working with Park Heights Renaissance, a nonprofit representing residents, businesses, and other stakeholders in the neighborhood.

“I think it’s really about listening,” he said. “We heard from the surrounding community that although [the race takes place] in their neighborhood, a lot of the residents have never been able to attend the Preakness. So the first thing we did was allot 500 tickets to go back to the community for the Park Heights Renaissance to distribute.”

Event producers also worked with the Park Heights Merchants Association to identify restaurants from the area to participate in Restaurant Row. And Baltimore artist Derrick Adams was enlisted to curate The Last Resort Art Garden pop-up, which will tap into Baltimore’s muralists and art scene to create installations in the infield throughout the weekend.

“This will be a celebration of the Preakness in a way that’s groundbreaking, and we hope connects residents and local businesses like never before,” said Park Heights Renaissance Executive Director Yolanda Jiggetts in a press release. “1/ST continues to show its commitment to strengthening its reach in the community through its growing relationship with Park Heights Renaissance.”

The Preakness’ other iconic race, held on Black-Eyed Susan Day (which is the Friday before the big race), was renamed in 2020 to be the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. Mitchell, who passed away that same year, was a longtime community leader who championed efforts to improve the Park Heights neighborhood.

On that Friday, Park Heights Renaissance will also recognize the recipient of the George E. Mitchell Park Heights Community Fellowship Grant with a special presentation from the Winner’s Circle. The award recognizes those in the Park Heights community who share in Mitchell’s vision and leadership toward the revitalization of the neighborhood.

“As an event producer, you have to start to look at where you can make an impact across many areas within the community … so they have a presence beyond attendance,” Vargas said. “We always want to work [these events] as a collaborative effort. And obviously, it’s in everyone’s best interest that we utilize Preakness as this global platform with a global audience to bring awareness to not just the race but to our surrounding communities.”