‘Tis the season, y’all: Fancy Farm is back.
Every year, Kentucky politicos, politicians, and wannabe politicians make the trek to west Kentucky for a church picnic that doubles as an opportunity to roast your political opponents whilst being heckled by your haters.
2026 is set to be a particularly noteworthy event: Democrats are set to return en masse to the event after largely avoiding it for a few years, the crowd will hear from folks running to fill Sen. Mitch McConnell’s seat, and at least one person may finally say whether or not they’ll run for Kentucky governor in 2027.
Hellbender Newsroom will be there, so make sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our free weekly newsletter for the latest. But for now, here’s a quick overview of everything you need to know about the “Super Bowl” of Kentucky politics.
What is Fancy Farm?
Fancy Farm, politically speaking, is part of the St. Jerome’s Catholic Church picnic that allows politicians and candidates to jump onstage to give a cross between a stump campaign speech and a roast of their political enemies, both real and perceived.
It is considered to be the unofficial kickoff for Kentucky’s fall election season.
When is Fancy Farm 2026?
Fancy Farm is always held on the first Saturday in August, with the political speeches kicking off at 2 p.m. Central.
This year, that means Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. Central.
Who is speaking at Fancy Farm 2026?
Not just anyone gets to speak at Fancy Farm. Organizers typically invite lawmakers who represent the region—both in Frankfort and in Washington, DC—plus any candidates for those offices, sitting statewide constitutional officers (like the governor), and assorted other candidates, depending on what’s going to be on the ballot that fall.
Organizers are still finalizing this year’s speaking lineup, but here’s a rundown of where things stand:
Speaking:
- State Sen. Jason Howell
- State Rep. Kim Holloway
- US Sen. Rand Paul
- US Senate candidates: Andy Barr, Charles Booker, Christopher Campbell
- KY-01 Congressional candidates: James Comer, John “Drew” Williams
- Lt. Gov. and 2027 gubernatorial candidate Jacqueline Coleman
- 2027 gubernatorial candidate Rocky Adkins
- Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell
- Attorney General Russell Coleman
- Treasurer Mark Metcalf
- Auditor Allison Ball
- Secretary of State Michael Adams
Not speaking:
- Gov. Andy Beshear
- Sen. Mitch McConnell
Where is Fancy Farm and where can I watch it?
Fancy Farm is in Graves County at St. Jerome’s Catholic Church for anyone who wants to attend in-person.
But media outlets tend to livestream the speeches for those who don’t want to brave the heat (and, this year, maybe a fair amount of rain). KET will start their live coverage, which includes analysis from a slate of politicos, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 p.m. Central.
Why should I care about Fancy Farm?
I get it: the idea of purposefully, willfully listening to politicians yell and say, at times, toxic things—particuarly while standing in the August heat—in this political climate is not particularly appealing.
But Fancy Farm gives Kentuckians an opportunity to hear directly from their elected officials—and those who want to be their elected officials—and to see what they say when given the opportunity to say almost anything. (Cussing is a big no-no here.)
It also can act as a stress test: Can politicians take the heat (both literally and from a large crowd there to heckle them)? Can they land a punch against their opponent? Are their jokes actually funny?
For in-person attendees, Fancy Farm is also a good chance to meet with candidates directly or connect with their campaign if you’re interested in getting involved heading into the midterm elections.
What are this year’s top trendlines for Fancy Farm?
One of this year’s things to watch has already been decided: Sen. Mitch McConnell announced Monday that, thanks to what’s said to be an intense physical therapy regimen, he will have to forgo Fancy Farm this year. So, don’t expect this to be McConnell’s first public spotting in nearly two months.
But there is still much to pay attention to. McConnell’s replacement will take the stage, with Republican Congressman Andy Barr and Democrat Charles Booker set to speak. Kentucky Party candidate Christopher Campbell also snagged an invite.
Democrats haven’t been giving Fancy Farm much love in recent years, in part because not a ton of them have qualified to speak. That’s changing this year, with Booker being joined by congressional candidate John “Drew” Williams, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, and gubernatorial candidate Rocky Adkins. (Williams, to be fair, spoke last year, too.)
There will be a lot of attention paid to this fall’s midterm elections, but also be on the lookout for notes on who could be running next year for governor. Gov. Andy Beshear is term-limited, so Kentucky will elect a new governor in 2027.
Coleman, his running mate, and Adkins, his former senior advisor, are both running on the Democrats’ side and will be speaking. Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams—who is also term-limited—has teased that he may announce a run at Fancy Farm, and Congressman James Comer may also tease a likely gubernatorial campaign.
This story has been updated.
