We’ve all heard of some of the huge festivals that take place across the country, including Mardi Gras in Louisiana, Coachella in California, and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. While these events are well-known and bring in lots of tourists, the size and scope of them can sometimes ruffle attendees’ feathers with their associated higher costs and increased traffic. Fortunately, there is an annual festival in London, Kentucky, the last week of September that won’t make anyone who attends feel fowl — I mean, foul: the World Chicken Festival.
Plans for the World Chicken Festival were hatched in 1989 by a group of Laurel County individuals who wanted to celebrate the county’s history while also supporting local nonprofits. But what does this have to do with chicken? Laurel County is the birthplace of not one but two chicken companies that are known far beyond its borders: Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Lee’s Famous Recipe. In fact, Colonel Harlan Sanders, who founded KFC, was Lee Cummings’ uncle. The individuals who came up with the “eggcellent” idea of a chicken festival held the first one in 1990 to commemorate Sanders’ 100th birthday.
While the World Chicken Festival in London, Kentucky, is a family-friendly street fair with free concerts and fun events, its deeper purpose is nothing to squawk at. “Vendors from all over the country pay to set up their booths, but food vendors can only set up at the festival if they partner with a local nonprofit. At the end of the festival, those nonprofits get a portion of the proceeds from the restaurant they partnered with. For many of our nonprofits in Laurel County, it is one of, if not the biggest fundraiser for the entire year,” says Travis Shortt, director of public relations and events for London-Laurel Tourist Commission. Between 50 to 55 nonprofits benefit each year from the World Chicken Festival.
While the festival has been around for 35 years, the past five years have brought some unique challenges to putting on such a beloved event. In 2020, Shortt notes that the festival was canceled in its entirety due to COVID, but he and other organizers came up with a creative way to keep it alive in spirit. At the time, he was the general manager for three London radio stations and says, “We created a virtual World Chicken Festival over a couple days. We had the Chicken Invasion, different sizes of wooden chickens that had been cut out and decorated by various businesses [and] lined the driveway to the radio station with those.” The radio station even collaborated on a radiothon with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to raise more than $11,000 in one day.
In 2024, Hurricane Helene forced organizers to cancel certain events, such as concerts at the main stage when the cover was blown over the night before the festival began. While the EF4 tornado that went through the area in May 2025 caused extensive damage to some 800 homes and the airport, London’s downtown, where the festival is held, was spared. This most recent weather event has been a reminder of why it is critical for the festival to support nonprofits, many of which have been in overdrive helping people who have been impacted by the spring storm. Shortt says that at this year’s festival, donations for tornado victims will be accepted at the Chicken Coop (information booth), the Skillet (where attendees can eat a chicken dinner), and both stages. “We hope to provide some much-needed distraction from the devastation and continue to raise awareness about the needs of our citizens,” he says.
Despite challenges, the organizers continue to include lighthearted and quirky events that prove delightful to attendees, whether they’ve come every year since the festival’s inception or are experiencing it for the first time. The Colonel Harlan Sanders Look-a-Like Contest brings in contestants from all over the country, while the 4-H Extension Office hosts a Chick-A-Lympics for children ages 5 to 7. Children participate in all sorts of fun games, including a Chicken Scratch, in which they scratch around like chickens in flour with the goal of finding dollar bills in the coating.
Another fun event is the Mullet Contest. “Last year, a gentleman came from eight hours away just to enter the contest,” Shortt says. Depending on your hair length, that event could take years to prepare for, but anyone can have a go in the Struttin’, Cluckin’ & Crowin’ Contest and do their best chicken impersonation. There is also a Hot Wing Eating Contest, but this requires signing a waiver to participate. Shortt says he has seen people experience bloody noses and nearly pass out as a result of the heat on these wings. “There’s one guy who has won several years. He has a fun time doing it, and he also regrets doing it every year,” Shortt says.
London, Kentucky, is a two-hour drive from Louisville, so interested visitors could easily get up with the chickens and make just one full day at the festival, but it would be worth your while to extend the visit and make Laurel County a weekend destination. Even when you’ve had your fill of festival, there is more to discover in the area.
Sanders Cafe and Museum in Corbin, a 20-minute drive from London, is on the National Register of Historic Places and provides the life story of one of the state’s most famous sons. Nature lovers can discover the beauty of Cumberland Falls, called the “Niagara of the South,” a 125-foot-wide waterfall. If you like natural arches, there is no shortage of them in Laurel County’s Daniel Boone National Forest. Visitors can even see a reproduction grist mill, called McHargue’s Mill, in Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park.
This year’s World Chicken Festival runs from Sept. 25 to 28, 2025, so now is the time to shake your tail feathers and add this to your autumn calendar of events. With its appeal to a broad swath of visitors, it offers something fun no matter your age. And who can say no to live and free entertainment? Plus, as Shortt notes, “While you are experiencing all the hometown fun, you also get to experience a more laid-back festival that feels more like a homecoming than a tourist attraction or vacation.”
To stay abreast of all that is happening, follow the World Chicken Festival on Facebook or visit chickenfestival.com to see the schedule of events. Another great source with information is visitlondonky.com.
