The 18 best things to do in and around Lexington this weekend

Here is a Lexington list and guide of the best weekend events around Central Kentucky on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if you are bored and need things to do from live music concerts, festivals featuring games, rides and food, comedy shows, local concerts, arts and crafts fairs, kid-friendly events, bourbon and wine tastings, book festivals, concert series, late night movies and foodie events.

World Chicken Festival in London

Fan of fried chicken? The World Chicken Festival in London is everything fried chicken from the Colonel Sanders look-a-like contest to the World’s Largest Stainless Steel Skillet where they cook up dinners for sale. But there’s more than chicken like live music concerts, a midway with games and rides, a 5K and the popular rooster tail mullet contest. The festival run on Main Street in downtown London Sept. 22-25. Chickenfestival.com

World Chicken Festival menu: Colonel Sanders look-a-likes, world’s largest skillet & more

Lexington Mercantile Co. Fall Market at Manchester Music Hall

Lexington Mercantile Co.’s fall market will take place at Manchester Music Hall on Sept. 23 at 5 p.m. and Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. The event is free to attend. 899 Manchester St. ManchesterMusicHall.com.

‘Taste At The House’ bourbon and wine tasting at the Bodley Bullock House

The fourth annual “Taste At The House,” a fundraiser hosted by the Junior League of Lexington featuring bourbon and wine tastings by Wine + Market and supporting the historic preservation of the Bodley-Bullock House, will take place on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and come with two bourbon tastings, two wine tastings and hors d’oeuvres. 200 Market St. LexJrLeague.com.

Anderson County Burgoo Festival in Lawrenceburg

The Anderson County Burgoo Festival will return to the streets of Lawrenceburg from Sept. 23-25 with live music, burgoo, a beauty pageant, a talent show and much more. The event is free to attend. KentuckyBurgoo.com.

Comedians Taylor Williamson, Aiko Tanaka at Comedy Off Broadway

Comedians Taylor Williamson and iko Tanaka will perform at Comedy Off Broadway four times from Sept. 23 to 24. Showtimes are on Sept. 23 at 7 and 9:30 p.m. and Sept. 24 at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $18-20. 161 Lexington Green Cir #C4. ComedyOffBroadway.com.

Blues concert for Tee Dee Young Day at the Lyric Theatre

Tee Dee Young and the Rachel Crowe Band will perform during a celebration honoring the five year anniversary of former Lexington Mayor Jim Gray proclaiming Sept. 13 as “Tee Dee Young Day” at the Lyric Theatre on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35-45. 300 E Third St. LexingtonLyric.com.

‘Jazz On The Lawn’ concert at Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate

The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation will host its annual “Jazz On The Lawn” concert on Sept. 25 at 5:30 p.m. Originally scheduled for Labor Day weekend before rain washed it out, the concert will feature performances from Lee Carroll’s C The Beat and The Wallace Sisters. The event is free to attend, but parking is $10. 120 Sycamore Rd. HenryClay.org.

Chamber Music Festival of Lexington

The 2022 Chamber Music Festival of Lexington runs through Sept. 25 at various locations throughout town. The festival brings together a mix of world-class and local musicians for chamber music, music composed for small ensembles of instrumentalists. Remaining events include a free to attend cabaret night at Blue Stallion Brewing Company on Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. and main stage concerts at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. (both $15-40 each). 610 W 3rd St and 141 E Main St. ChamberMusicLex.org.

Festival Of The Bluebird in Frankfort

Celebrate the bluebird at West Sixth Farm in Frankfort during Festival of the Bluebird on Sept. 24 from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Activities include special guest speakers, guided hands-on exploration field trips, live music and more. Tickets are $10 with children 15 and under free of admission. 4495 Shadrick Ferry Rd, Frankfort. facebook.com/events/1623277694721553.

Madison Book Fest in Richmond

Madison Book Fest, previously known as Berea Book Fest, will take place at the Richmond branch of the Madison County Public Library on Sept. 24 from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Activities include panel discussions, writing workshops and more. The event is free to attend. 507 W Main St, Richmond. MadisonLibrary.org.

Charity Chili Cook-Off in Danville

Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville will host its fifth annual Charity Chili Cook-Off benefiting the Danville Kiwanis Club on Sept. 24 from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Other activities include horse and wagon rides and face painting. Tickets are $10 and come with access to all 25 chili’s available vying for top spot in the cook-off. 4095 Lebanon Rd, Danville. WildnernessTrailDistillery.com.

Twilight Festival in Versailles

The 18th annual Twilight Festival will take over the streets of downtown Versailles on Sept. 24 from noon-9 p.m. with food, music, dancing, games and exhibits from Woodford County and surrounding local businesses. The event is free to attend. 196 S Main St, Versailles. facebook.com/VersaillesTwilightFestival

Harvest Fest at Shaker Village Of Pleasant Hill

Shaker Village Of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg will hold its annual Harvest Fest on Sept. 24-25 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Activities include hayrides, pumpkin painting, pony rides, haystack climbing, farm games, archery and a hay maze. Tickets are $14 for ages 13 and older, $7 for ages 6-12 and free to children 5 and under. 3501 Lexington Rd, Harrodsburg. ShakerVillageKy.org.

Garden Fest at the Loudoun House

Seedleaf and the Lexington Art League will host Garden Fest at the Loudoun House on Sept. 24 from 1-5 p.m. The free event includes food, performances from Lexington Philharmonic musicians, demonstrations from young gardeners and more. 209 Castlewood Dr. LexPhil.org.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears concert at The Burl

Musicians Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and Cedric Burnside will perform at The Burl on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. 375 Thompson Rd. TheBurlKy.com.

Black Jacket Symphony: Van Halen’s ‘1984’

The Black Jacket Symphony will perform songs from Van Halen’s album, “1984” during a performance at the Lexington Opera House on Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $36. 401 W Short St. LexingtonOperaHouse.com.

‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at the Kentucky Theatre

Start off the Halloween season with a late-night classic, “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Kentucky Theatre, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The showing of the cult favorite movie, and a favorite of the downtown Lexington movie theater, is 11 p.m. Sept. 24. Tickets are $7.75. https://www.kentuckytheatre.org/

Tahlsound Concert Series at Oleika Temple Great Lawn

Local indie rockers Lylak will celebrate the release of their new album alongside Scott Whiddon and Louisville’s Quiet Hollers during a performance with the Tahlsound Concert Series at Oleika Temple Great Lawn on Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. Tickets are free and come on a pay what you can basis. 302 Southland Dr. Tahlsound.com.