It's picnic season! Your guide to the church festivities in Louisville this summer

Caleb Wiegandt, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·5 min read

Louisville's vibrant Catholic community has a busy summer ahead as the city's nearly 60 parishes take turns as go-to weekend attractions for church picnics.

Almost every weekend throughout June and July, volunteers share their talents cooking at the fryers, shuffling in the gambling tents or performing live on stage in multi-day celebrations for all ages.

The fun has already started in 2023. Here's our list of picnics taking place in Louisville for the rest of the summer:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 5505 New Cut Road

  • Dates: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., June 8-10

  • Food: Saturday - chicken dinner

  • Gambling: 50/50 raffle, $10,000 Super Raffle

St. Lawrence, 1925 Lewiston Drive

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., June 9; 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., June 10

  • Food: Saturday - Chicken dinner

  • Gambling: $50 reverse raffle, $10 capital prize chances

  • Entertainment: Friday - live music by Bourbon Boulevard, 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Saturday - live music by Caribou, 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; booths; inflatables

St. Edward, 9608 Sue Helen Drive

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., June 8 (ride night); 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., June 9-10

  • Food: Friday - Fish dinner in the gym; Saturday - chicken dinner in the gym

St. Margaret Mary, 7813 Shelbyville Road

  • Dates: 5-11 p.m., June 9-10

  • Food: Friday - Knights of Columbus fish fry, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday - chicken dinner

  • Entertainment: Friday - Tim Baker Comedy Cavalcade in the church, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday - live band, 9:30 p.m.

  • Gambling: Saturday - $12,000 capital prize drawing plus $2,000 second prize and $1,000 third prize, 9:30 p.m.

Our Lady of Lourdes, 508 Breckenridge Lane

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., June 9-10

  • Food: Friday - cheeseburgers, hot dogs and bratwursts from Saints; Saturday - chicken dinner in the cafeteria and pulled pork outside; cake wheel

  • Entertainment: Friday - live music by George Stearman; Saturday - live music by Bad Directions Band, inflatables

  • Gambling: Capital prize raffles - $2,500 drawing at 9:30 p.m., $5,000 drawing at 10:30 p.m.; gambling tent; pull-tabs

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St. Paul, 6901 Dixie Highway

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., June 15 (ride night, all-you-can-ride wristbands for $20); 6 p.m. to midnight, June 16; 5 p.m. to midnight, June 17

  • Food: Saturday - chicken dinner, sandwich tent

  • Entertainment: Thursday - live music by The Checkmates, gambling, booths, rides

St. Raphael the Archangel, 2900 Bardstown Road

  • Dates: 6 p.m., June 15 (inflatables only); 5:30 p.m., June 16; 5 p.m., June 17

  • Entertainment: Gambling, live band, capital prize

St. Albert the Great, 1395 Girard Drive

  • Dates: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., June 16-17

  • Entertainment: Games, prizes, live music, inflatables, gambling, etc.

St. Gregory, 330 Samuels Loop, Cox's Creek

  • Date: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., June 17

  • Food: Broaster chicken and ham dinners, Kona Ice

  • Gambling: Super Raffle ($10 per chance) with $5,000, $2,000 and $1,000 prizes, silent auction, pull tabs, showdown poker

  • For kids: Games, inflatables, face painting

Holy Family, 3938 Poplar Level Road

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., June 22; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., June 23; 5 p.m. to midnight, June 24

  • Food/Drink: Thursday - "Thirsty Thursday"; Saturday - chicken dinner

  • Gambling: Pull-tabs, Friday and Saturday - blackjack, putting

  • Entertainment: Music, booths, games

St. Martha, 2825 Klondike Lane

  • Dates: 4 p.m., June 23-24

  • Food: Friday - fish dinner; Saturday - chicken dinner

  • Entertainment: Friday - live music by Midnite Chasers; Saturday - live music by Judge Angus; booths, games and prizes, 4 p.m.

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St. Aloysius, 212 Mt. Mercy Drive

  • Dates: 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., July 15

  • Food: Fried chicken dinner, noodles, beer garden

  • Gambling: Capital prize - 2023 Buick Encore GX (valued at $27,000 or $17,000 cash option)

  • Entertainment: Inflatables, booths, gaming

St. Gabriel the Archangel, 5505 Bardstown Road

  • Date: 5 p.m., July 15

  • Food: Fried chicken dinner, noodles, beer garden

  • Gambling: Capital prize - 2023 Buick Encore GX (valued at $27,000 or $17,000 cash option)

  • Entertainment: Inflatables, booths, gaming

St. Agnes Carnival, 1918 Newburg Road

  • Dates: 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., July 21-22

  • Food: Barbecue dinners

  • Gambling: 10-cent booths, gaming, hole-in-one, $15,000 capital prize

  • Entertainment: Friday - live music by Pat Younger and the Palo Verde, Famous on Friday and Turn3; Saturday - The Salty Dawgs, Satchel's Pawn Shop and Solar Flannel; rides

St. Rita, 8709 Preston Highway

  • Dates: 6 p.m. to midnight, July 21; 4 p.m. to midnight, July 22

  • Food: Saturday - chicken dinner in the gym, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; food tent and trucks, beer garden

  • Gambling: Raffle - $5,000 first prize, $1,500 second prize and $500 third prize

  • Entertainment: Music, inflatables, games for kids

St. Michael, 3705 Stone Lakes Drive

  • Dates: July 27-29

  • Food: Fried chicken dinner, noodles, beer garden

  • Gambling: Capital prize - 2023 Buick Encore GX (valued at $27,000 or $17,000 cash option)

  • Entertainment: Inflatables, booths, gaming

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Did we miss any? Reach reporter Caleb Wiegandt at cwiegandt@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @CalebWiegandt.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville church picnics: Your summer 2023 guide to the festivities