By Nicole Childress, Building Kentucky
Jeffersontown hosted its 52nd annual Gaslight Festival, one of the longest-standing and largest festivals in the region, in September. The eight-day event included popular, well-known traditions such as the River City Bank Parade and U.S. Bank Balloon Glow. It also featured new events such as an ice cream eating contest, a princess party and new entertainment.
Gaslight Festival sees record attendance
Despite a virtual 2020 Gaslight Festival and an ongoing pandemic this year, the festival set record attendance levels.
“The 2021 Gaslight Festival week has been a huge success. With 13 events in 8 days, we welcomed more than 150,000 people to our community, set records in various categories, and had vendors already commit to coming back next year,” said Deana Karem, president of the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce.
Popular events return
One of the most popular events of the festival is Gaslight Weekend, where arts and crafts vendors flooded the Jeffersontown streets with unique booths. In addition to local businesses, the Chamber welcomed vendors from Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Florida.
“We’re so happy to participate as a first-time vendor at the Gaslight Festival. It has been a very profitable weekend,” said Eileen O’Connor-King, owner of Once Upon a Chime.
“Gaslight means a great deal to the community of Jeffersontown. This is one of the biggest weekends of the year for our local businesses,” said Karem. “It’s an opportunity to come together and support one another.”
The Gaslight Festival is not only an important weekend for Jeffersontown businesses, it also a significant weekend for the Red Cross. This year, 42 donors saved an estimated 108 lives through the annual blood drive.
Save the date for Gaslight Festival 2022
If you didn’t get a chance to make it to this year’s Gaslight Festival, the Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce already has its dates set for next year. The 2022 Gaslight Festival will be held Sept. 11 through 18, 2022.
