Mark Mahan
Thursday Night Live regularly draws a crowd of more than 1,000 people for the free-to-attend concert series, which runs April through October.
For three decades, Thursday Night Live has been Lexingtonians’ go-to event to get their weekends started early. It’s also been a boon for downtown businesses, with well over 1,000 people flocking to Tandy Park for the weekly concert series, held April through October.
Overseeing Thursday Night Live for much of its lifespan is Laura Farnsworth, director of development and events for the Downtown Lexington Partnership — a private, nonprofit member organization founded in 2008 that works to build a vibrant, economically powerful urban core.
Thursday Night Live is Downtown Lexington Partnership’s largest free-to-attend public event, and is responsible for funding the bulk of its programming, including the Mayfest Arts Fair and a seasonal ice rink at Triangle Park.
According to Farnsworth, the concept originated with Commerce Lexington after a 1994 leadership trip to Greenville, South Carolina. “They had this after-hours event that brought people downtown with music and food, almost like a happy hour,” Farnsworth said. “The crew liked the idea, brought it back here, and the rest is history!”
Thursday Night Live debuted the following year and has been a fixture of Lexington’s cultural landscape ever since. It regularly features beloved cover bands and musicians — including Kenny Owens & Group Therapy, Rebel Without a Cause, and Vinyl Richie — and has also hosted regional favorites like Prestonsburg duo Sundy Best, who had four straight albums crack the top 50 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in the 2010s.
For Farnsworth, her favorite moments have been when former President Bill Clinton stopped by during a soundcheck by the Lauren Mink Band in 2015 while in town stumping for his wife, Hillary, during primaries ahead of the 2016 Presidential Election. She also mentions a tribute to Michael Jackson following his death in 2009.
“He died on a Thursday, and by the next week we had coordinated a ‘Thriller’ dance with Teresa [Tomb] from Mecca Dance, who also choreographs the city’s Halloween parade,” Farnsworth said. “It ended up being our most widely attended Thursday Night Live ever. His death impacted so many people, so to see people respond to our tribute to him in that way was very cool and impactful.”
This year promises the biggest season yet, with several shows tied to the city’s yearlong LEX250 celebrations and a finale concert at Legends Field on Oct. 16 to mark the baseball franchise’s 25th anniversary. The LEX250-focused entertainment began April 17 with an ode to Kentucky music featuring The Swells, Jenkins Twins, and Possum Queens, followed on April 24 by blues rockers Magnolia Boulevard. Festivities will then commence again during June’s “Come Home” month on June 5 (artist TBA) and June 26 with a reunion from the Johnson Brothers, celebrating the band’s 30th anniversary.
Whether onstage, in the crowd, or behind the scenes, Farnsworth said it’s the people who make Thursday Night Live special. In terms of the flow of a typical Thursday event, she said that she notices three distinct phases in the crowd throughout the evening.
“From 5 to about 6:30 p.m. you have the business professionals stopping by after work for a drink and to network,” Farnsworth said. “Then, from 6:30 to 7:30, it’s people who went home after work to change and gather their families to bring down. Then, from 7:30 on, we have a lot of college students come through who are just beginning their nights. It makes for an interesting and fun crowd every week.”
From families grabbing a bite to college students hitting the bars, Thursday Night Live crowds regularly spill into the rest of downtown, giving surrounding businesses a much-appreciated boost. Despite hosting beer and food vendors each week, Farnsworth says one of the event’s biggest objectives is driving attendees to other downtown spots.
“Our goal, once the event ends, is to turn them onto the bars and restaurants like Corto Lima or Pies & Pints or a show at the Lexington Opera House,” she said. “Oftentimes it’s hard for me to leave the event and go to dinner and not see someone I engaged with earlier in the evening.”
Although the impact of Thursday Night Live has been significant, the producing team remains small. The Downtown Lexington Partnership currently employs only Farnsworth and one other full-time staff member, with a third set to join soon. Farnsworth takes pride in the event’s continued success, noting how it has evolved over time and attracted a steadily growing and loyal crowd.
“In 17 years I’ve seen little kids grow up to be adults who now drive themselves down here. That can be hard on the ego [laughs], but ultimately, it’s been a joy seeing folks return year after year,” Farnsworth said. “In a way they feel like family too, which has been really fulfilling both personally and professionally.”