LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Mark your calendars, there’s a new holiday in central Kentucky.

Railbirds ushered in festival season in true Kentucky style over the weekend, with 32 acts spread across two days.

Tyler Childers, an eastern Kentucky native, returned to the festival in 2023 as a headliner. At 9 p.m., the long wait was over when over 40,000 festivalgoers roared to see somebody take the Limestone stage. Except, it wasn’t Childers. It was Mayor Linda Gorton.

Mayor Gorton declared that June 4 would forever be known as Tyler Childers Day in Lexington.

She expressed the pride felt seeing an Eastern Kentuckian succeed at the level Childers has, as well as her gratitude for always returning home to the bluegrass.

“Lexington has been real good to me,” Childers expressed to the crowd, “I’ve spent many nights playing at Al’s Bar and The Green Lantern. If you’d told me back then, I’d never imagine myself being here on this stage today. But I guess it’s happening right now.”

Similarly, before taking the Railbird stage in 2019, Childers was awarded a key to the city.

Seven of the acts that performed at the infield at Red Mile are from right here in the Bluegrass. Brit Taylor, Cole Chaney, The Local Honeys, Ricky Skaggs, Wayne Graham, and special guest Nicholas Jamerson call Kentucky home.

“I love home games,” Chaney, a Boyd County native, wrote to Facebook while looking forward to his set on Sunday.

Catch them while you can; these Kentucky musicians have all frequented the same places Childers did early in his career.

Railbird Music Festival has previously been held in August at Keeneland Racetrack. After a brief hiatus, the festival came to life at Red Mile with this set of rich regional acts.