Kentucky Derby 2027 Shirts: Dates and Trademark Rules

The 153rd Kentucky Derby runs Saturday, May 1, 2027, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and the Kentucky Oaks runs the day before, Friday, April 30, 2027. Derby season is one of the biggest party-shirt weekends of the spring: watch parties, bachelorette trips, office pools, hat-and-bourbon gatherings, and two big Louisville road races the weekend before. It is also an event whose owner protects its name. This guide covers the 2027 dates, what Churchill Downs says it owns, a court case that started with a T-shirt, and designs a shop can print without a license.

Derby season 2027 dates

Thunder Over Louisville, the Kentucky Derby Festival's fireworks and air show, has not published a 2027 date as of Oct. 18, 2026. The 2026 show was on Saturday, April 18. The Pegasus Parade 2027 date is also not published yet. Check the Kentucky Derby Festival before printing any dated shirts for those two events.

What Churchill Downs says it owns

The footer of KentuckyDerby.com states that the Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby, and Kentucky Oaks names, the twin spires design, and related marks are registered trademarks of Churchill Downs Incorporated. A 2017 trademark blog from the law firm Stites & Harbison adds that Churchill Downs holds several registrations tied to the twin spires, including the words, the designs, and a three-dimensional trade dress registration for the spires themselves. According to USPTO records summarized by Justia, Churchill Downs also holds registrations on Run for the Roses.

In practice that puts these off limits on shirts a shop sells without a license:

• Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, with or without the year or edition number
• Churchill Downs
• The twin spires, whether drawn, traced, or photographed
• Run for the Roses
• The official event logos and the annual Derby artwork

The court case that started with a T-shirt

Churchill Downs has taken merchandise disputes to court. In Churchill Downs, Inc. v. Commemorative Derby Promotions, Inc., decided by Judge Julie Carnes in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in September 2013, the defendant made the "Dirt Shirt," a commemorative T-shirt dyed with soil from the racetrack. It had been a licensee. Churchill Downs said the company kept using its marks after the license ended. The court granted summary judgment to Churchill Downs, found a strong likelihood of confusion, and held that even the track's historic name, Louisville Jockey Club, was a valid mark because nobody else had used it on merchandise.

The takeaway for a decorator: a license is not a one-time permission. When it ends, the marks come off the product.

The word "Derby" alone is a common word used for many races and events, but it is not a free pass when it sits next to roses, twin spires, Louisville, and the first weekend in May. The confusion test looks at the whole shirt, not one word.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a customer wants an official mark on a shirt they plan to sell, the answer is a license from Churchill Downs.

Shirt ideas that stay clear

Watch-party and hostess shirts. "Hats, Horses and Bourbon," "Post Time," "Big Hat Energy," "Mint Julep Club," a horseshoe, a rose, and the party host's name and date. Generic horse-racing art (a jockey in silks, a horse at full stride, a rose garland) is nobody's trademark. Bachelorette and girls'-trip shirts. Louisville trips in early May are common. "Louisville 2027," "Bourbon and Bridesmaids," or the bride's name over a horseshoe stay clear of the event name. Oaks Day. Oaks Day is traditionally pink, and plenty of Oaks-week shirts are a pink-and-lilies theme without saying "Oaks." Our Pink Out shirt guide covers pink blanks and ink choices that print clean. Office pools and fundraisers. "Pick Your Pony," "Saddle Up," and a numbered saddle-cloth graphic with the office's or charity's name. Race shirts for the Festival races. The Kentucky Derby Festival is a separate organization from Churchill Downs, and its race names and logos belong to it. Official race shirts are handed out at packet pickup. For running clubs and pace groups, print the club's own name and "13.1" or "26.2" with the date. Our spring 2027 marathon guide covers the rest of the April calendar, including Boston on April 19 and Nashville on April 24.

Blanks and pressing

Derby weather can run from cool and wet to hot. Women's fitted tees, tanks, and lightweight performance blanks sell for parties, and pastel cotton tees sell for brunch. DTF prints well on pastels, but run a white underbase on any color darker than white so a red rose stays red. For polyester or tri-blend tanks, use a lower press temperature to avoid scorching and dye migration. The DTF temperature and time chart lists settings by fabric, and the placement guide covers sizing for fitted women's tees, which run narrower than unisex.

Production timing

• Early to mid-March: quote watch-party, bachelorette, and office-pool shirts. Most Derby party hosts plan four to six weeks out.
• Early April: running-club shirts for the April 23 5K and April 24 miniMarathon and Marathon.
• Final two weeks: reorders and late party orders. DTF fits small, fast runs because there are no screens.

Late April is busy: Fiesta San Antonio runs April 15 to 25, 2027, and our Fiesta 2027 guide covers that event.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Kentucky Derby 2027?

The 153rd Kentucky Derby is Saturday, May 1, 2027, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Kentucky Oaks is the day before, Friday, April 30, 2027, according to the official Kentucky Derby site.

Can I put "Kentucky Derby" on a shirt I sell?

Not without a license. Churchill Downs Incorporated states that the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Churchill Downs names and the twin spires design are its registered trademarks, and it has gone to court over unlicensed merchandise.

Is "Run for the Roses" trademarked?

Yes. According to USPTO records summarized by Justia, Churchill Downs holds registrations on Run for the Roses. Treat it the same way as the Kentucky Derby name and leave it off shirts sold without a license.

When is the Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon 2027?

The Humana Kentucky Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon start at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 24, 2027, on Main Street near Louisville Slugger Field. The Festival 5K is Friday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in Waterfront Park.

What should a Derby party shirt say?

Generic phrases work best: "Hats, Horses and Bourbon," "Post Time," "Mint Julep Club," or the host's name with a horseshoe or rose. Leave off Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Churchill Downs, Run for the Roses, and the twin spires.

Where this fits in the DTF Database

For short-run party orders, the DTF supplier directory lists shops that print gang sheets with fast turnaround. The same trademark logic applies to other spring events; see our March Madness 2027 guide for NCAA marks and the licensed character and trademark guide for the basics.