Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg courted a group of golf and film executives, a music festival organizer and the U of L athletics director at the 2026 Kentucky Derby.(Rachel Greenberg / Instagram)The tickets: $61,497.The hotel: $24,708.The experience: “Unforgettable,” said Charlie Rivkin, the chairman and chief executive officer of Motion Pictures Association.Rivkin was one of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg’s select guests for this year’s Kentucky Derby. He and others posted photos of their festivities on Instagram — 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.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.Matt Mudd, the mayor’s 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 “great opportunity to bring in new investments, new events, and expand existing events that energize our community, support local businesses, and boost our economy.”Mudd said city officials want to bring the 2036 PGA Championship back to Louisville at Valhalla Golf Club.Derby party price tag details come as Greenberg proposes some cuts in what he said would be a “challenging” city budget for next fiscal year. He wants to slash funding for conservation groups and cut about 50 jobs, according to the Courier Journal.One of Greenberg’s top challengers in the upcoming mayoral election, Louisville Metro Council Member Shameka Parrish-Wright, a District 3 Democrat, said the cost of Greenberg’s Derby party is a “significant amount to spend right now, especially with proposed cuts elsewhere.”“I think the focus needs to be on fiscal responsibility,” Parrish-Wright said. “I would not spend our public tax dollars that way. Greenberg and his guest have more than enough money.”The cost of the mayor’s Derby party this year is cheaper than prior years. In 2023, for instance, LPM News reported Greenberg spent $180,000 hosting executives from LinkedIn, the WNBA and Walt Disney Television, among others.In addition to Rivkin, this year’s guest list included: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 LouisvilleTickets for the group made up the bulk of the cost — 12 seats at tables in the refined Stakes Room for Oaks and Derby cost $61,500, the records show.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 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 after the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting revealed 21c got the gig.This year, the mayor’s guests stayed at Hotel Genevieve in NuLu, where Derby weekend rooms cost $1,400 a night, according to records obtained by KyCIR.The invites — designed by Louisville-based Relay Design — came to $1,300.Last year, Greenberg hosted the owners of the Louisville Bats, a pair of Texas philanthropists and a few Hollywood executives. In 2024, the crowd included golf bosses, local business leaders, a whiskey maker, a designer and the chief executive of Impossible Foods.Before Greenberg, former Mayor Greg Fischer spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Derby parties with guest lists he fought to keep secret.In contrast, Greenberg is open about his guests.He catalogued his time at this year’s Derby on his social media accounts with splashy edits from the track and group photos of the party with his family, friends and celebrities.In one, he’s 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.“Until next year,” the caption reads. ...read more read less