Talk about star power! Patrica Barnstable-Brown has assembled another breathtaking list of celebrity guests for her annual Derby Eve celebration, held the night before the Kentucky Derby. Our advice? You’ll want to put on your shades before you catch a glimpse of who’s who from the worlds of sports, music, television, cinema and dignitaries coming to this party.
This roster of luminaries has superstar potential, starting with Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning. The glitzy Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve gala also featured Chris Pine (“Star Trek,” “Wonder Woman”) and Louisville rapper Jack Harlow.
“We have so many wonderful guests coming this year and one surprise guest, who we are keeping under wraps until the night of the party, Barnstable-Brown told the Courier Journal. special guests we can’t wait to meet.”
Now in its 34th year, the celebrity-studded Barnstable Brown Derby Eve is internationally recognized as the Kentucky Derby’s premier gala and has been named one of Condé Nast’s “Ten Best Parties in the World.” In 2022, Olympian Michael Phelps attended along with music superstars Janet Jackson, Darius Rucker and Jason Aldean. In addition, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, actor Jeff Bridges and Super Bowl champion Tom Brady have been part of Barnstable Brown’s carefully selected and always eclectic guest list in the past.
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This year, the legendary Smokey Robinson will come to the party along with actor Justin Hartley (“This Is Us”), Ian Bowen (“Yellowstone”), music superstars Boyz II Men, NSYNC’s Joey Fatone, Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) and singer and songwriter Rachel Platten, who performed the national anthem at the Kentucky Oaks earlier in the day on Friday.
Louisville native Barnstable-Brown hosted the dazzling evening with her son Christopher Barnstable-Brown and her identical twin sister Priscilla “Sib” Barnstable. The party begins with a red carpet entrance, during which a large crowd of star-gazers and fans erupts with excitement every time a limousine pulls up to the entrance and a celebrity walks out. With lawn chairs and blankets, street spectators are part of the Derby Eve tradition in front of Barnstable-Brown’s yellow mansion, which is perched on a grassy knoll lit by thousands of twinkling white lights.
Under huge white tents erected in the backyard for the party, a music stage becomes the center of attention once all the celebrities and invited party guests arrive. It’s where “The Voice” winner and Kentucky native Jordan Smith, country legends Travis Tritt and Eddie Montgomery, another Kentucky native, plus Sambora, Boyz II Men, Fatone and Robinson will perform some unexpected musical combinations.
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Barnstable-Brown said the unpredictability of who will take the stage and what new friendships will be forged is the magic sauce of her legendary party.
“We never know who’s going to jump on stage,” she said. “One year, Peyton (Manning) got up and sang. It’s anyone’s guess and the guests really like it.”
The Louisville-born sisters are well known for their time in the spotlight. As a representative of Wrigley’s “Double Mint” chewing gum models, their ad played in every American home with a television in the 1970s. In 1971, Barnstable-Brown was crowned Miss Kentucky and placed in the top five of the Miss USA pageant. The twins were also featured together on the covers of Redbook and Good Housekeeping magazines and appeared in episodes of the TV shows “The Love Boat,” “Wonderful World of Walt Disney” and starred in “Quark,” a short-lived sitcom.
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Beyond the star power and dazzling glitz, the lavish celebrity-studded gala benefits the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Research Center at the University of Kentucky. Last year’s party alone donated $1.2 million to the Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, bringing total donations to more than $17 million to fight diabetes.
For partygoers like Fatone, the Derby Eve event and its charitable cause go hand in hand. In 2021, he was asked to appear on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and the money he raised was donated to the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. For several years, Sambora has participated in the party, playing a custom-made guitar that he auctions off at the end of the night and donates the proceeds to the Barnstable Brown Center.
First-time star guests like Mahomes, Harlow and Pine should be prepared for an electrifying but enjoyable fan presence, a red carpet stomp and replay with local, national and international reporters and the long trek down the rather steep Barnstable-Brown Driveway. It’s all part of what makes the Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala an enchanting and one-of-a-kind Kentucky Derby weekend experience.
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Here are all the celebrities we know of so far who are attending the 2023 Barnstable Brown Derby Gala:
2023 Barnstable Brown Derby Gala Celebrity List
- Patrick MahomesSuper Bowl champion and MVP quarterback Kansas City Chiefs (2020, 2023)
- Chris PineAmerican actor known for Star Trek reboots and Wonder Woman
- Peyton ManningSuper Bowl champion quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts (2007) and Denver Broncos (2016)
- Aaron Rodgersdefending Super Bowl Champion with Green Bay Packers (2011), now plays with New York Jets
- Jack HarlowGrammy-nominated rapper from Louisville
- Smokey Robinsonsinger, producer and songwriter, known as the frontman of “Miracles”
- Boyz II MenVocal harmony group featuring Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman
- Justin HartleyAmerican actor known for “This is Us” and “Smallville”
- Rachel Plattensinger-songwriter performing in the 2023 Kentucky Oaks
- Ian Boen, American actor known for “Yellowstone”
- Bill BellamyAmerican actor and stand-up comedian
- Randall CobbNFL wide receiver and former University of Kentucky football player
- Emmitt SmithNFL throwback with the Dallas Cowboys
- Travis Trittcountry music artist
- Brett Baieranchor of a special report on Fox News
- Doug E. Freshrapper, record producer and beatboxer, also known as “The Human Beat Box”
- Joey Fatonesinger/songwriter best known as a member of NSYNC
- Richie Samboraguitarist, singer, songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Bon Jovi
- Eddie Montgomerycountry music artist and native of Kentucky
- Jordan Smithwinner of “The Voice” season 9 and a native of Harlan, Kentucky
- Billy Gilmancountry music artist
- Brandon Stokelyradio personality and former American football broadcaster
- Larry Burkhead, photographer
- Danielle Burkheaddaughter of Anna Nicole Smith and Larry Burkhead
- David BakhtiariGreen Bay Packers offense
- Matt Flynn2011 Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers quarterback
- Brian Bulaga2011 Super Bowl champion offensive tackle with the Green Bay Packers
- Robert Pine, American actor known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer in the TV series “CHiPs”
- blake bell, Super Bowl champion tight end, Kansas City Chiefs
- Shane Bukele Super Bowl champion quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs
- Jimmy GrahamNFL football tight end
- AJ Hawksports analyst and former American football quarterback
Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at [email protected].