Owensboro is the "BBQ Capital of the world"; it holds its International Bar-B-Q Festival and competition every second weekend in May.
Each fall, Reid's Orchard hosts the Apple Festival.
It has come to rival the International Bar-B-Q Festival, in terms of excitement and anticipation.

Owensboro also hosts ROMP, "River of Music Party", a bluegrass festival.
ROMP has grown to 20,000 visitors a year.
Some artists include Sam Bush, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
ROMP won the Governor's Award for Community Arts in 2013.

Lanham Brothers Jamboree is an event held every second Saturday from April through September at the Diamond Lake Resort Theater in Owensboro.
The jamboree was started by Randy Lanham and Barry Lanham.
All shows are videotaped and broadcast on KET KY, Kentucky Educational Television.

During the summer, the city offers Friday After 5, a free 16-week series of outdoor concerts on the downtown riverfront.
The festival includes live bands, events for families, and entertainment every Friday from 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm.
An estimated 55,000 people attend the events.

The Owensboro PumpkinFest is held each September at the Sportscenter/Moreland Park complex.
The festival includes food vendors, crafts people, carnival rides, children and adult activities and games, and contests using pumpkins.
Each year, the festival hosts a weekend-long concert series featuring some of the area's top bands, such as the Velvet Bombers, Sundown, Bad Kitty, and Mr. Nice Guy, to name a few.
The event was started by the Glenmary Sisters as a way to raise awareness and funds for their mission work in the southeastern United States.
The festival was handed over to New Beginnings Rape Crisis Center in October 2009.

Owensboro is home of a unique annual fundraiser: Men Who Cook – Celebrity Chefs Gala & Auction.
The first Men Who Cook was held in 2007 through the collaboration of Richard Remp-Morris, Deputy Chief David Thompson with the Owensboro Police Department, and many dedicated volunteers.
Men Who Cook features amateur chefs who display their culinary talents in a friendly competition for coveted Silver Spoon Awards.
All proceeds from the event support the mission work of the Glenmary Sisters, who since 1941 have supported the poorest of Americans living in the rural South and Appalachia.

During the summer, Owensboro is home of the Owensboro Oilers, a baseball team in the collegiate wood-bat Ohio Valley League.
The Oilers were the KIT League's 2008 playoff champions and the 2006 KIT League season champions.
The team is named for the baseball minor league farm team "Owensboro Oilers" which existed in the 1940s.

In February 2013, Owensboro hosted indoor football games of the Owensboro Rage.
The Rage, who relocated from Evansville, Indiana, played in the Continental Indoor Football League.
Owensboro is the "BBQ Capital of the world"; it holds its International Bar-B-Q Festival and competition every second weekend in May.
Each fall, Reid's Orchard hosts the Apple Festival. It has come to rival the International Bar-B-Q Festival, in terms of excitement and anticipation.
Owensboro also hosts ROMP, "River of Music Party", a bluegrass festival. ROMP has grown to 20,000 visitors a year. Some artists include Sam Bush, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, and Old Crow Medicine Show. ROMP won the Governor's Award for Community Arts in 2013.
Lanham Brothers Jamboree is an event held every second Saturday from April through September at the Diamond Lake Resort Theater in Owensboro. The jamboree was started by Randy Lanham and Barry Lanham. All shows are videotaped and broadcast on KET KY, Kentucky Educational Television.
During the summer, the city offers Friday After 5, a free 16-week series of outdoor concerts on the downtown riverfront. The festival includes live bands, events for families, and entertainment every Friday from 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm. An estimated 55,000 people attend the events.
The Owensboro PumpkinFest is held each September at the Sportscenter/Moreland Park complex. The festival includes food vendors, crafts people, carnival rides, children and adult activities and games, and contests using pumpkins. Each year, the festival hosts a weekend-long concert series featuring some of the area's top bands, such as the Velvet Bombers, Sundown, Bad Kitty, and Mr. Nice Guy, to name a few. The event was started by the Glenmary Sisters as a way to raise awareness and funds for their mission work in the southeastern United States. The festival was handed over to New Beginnings Rape Crisis Center in October 2009.
Owensboro is home of a unique annual fundraiser: Men Who Cook – Celebrity Chefs Gala & Auction. The first Men Who Cook was held in 2007 through the collaboration of Richard Remp-Morris, Deputy Chief David Thompson with the Owensboro Police Department, and many dedicated volunteers. Men Who Cook features amateur chefs who display their culinary talents in a friendly competition for coveted Silver Spoon Awards. All proceeds from the event support the mission work of the Glenmary Sisters, who since 1941 have supported the poorest of Americans living in the rural South and Appalachia.
During the summer, Owensboro is home of the Owensboro Oilers, a baseball team in the collegiate wood-bat Ohio Valley League. The Oilers were the KIT League's 2008 playoff champions and the 2006 KIT League season champions. The team is named for the baseball minor league farm team "Owensboro Oilers" which existed in the 1940s.
In February 2013, Owensboro hosted indoor football games of the Owensboro Rage. The Rage, who relocated from Evansville, Indiana, played in the Continental Indoor Football League.
Owensboro, Kentucky