The annual World Chicken Festival, a celebration of fried chicken, is held in London, Kentucky.
The festival began in 1989 in London, a city in Laurel County, Kentucky. It celebrates the region’s connection with Colonel Harland Sanders, the Kentucky Fried Chicken founder whose image and business helped make Kentucky-style fried chicken internationally famous.
A major attraction is the festival’s large frying pan, used to cook chicken for visitors. The event combines food, live entertainment, contests, vendors and community celebrations rather than functioning only as a restaurant-centered food fair.
London should not be confused with Lexington or Louisville, Kentucky’s larger and better-known cities. The festival’s location is especially fitting because London lies in the state associated worldwide with KFC and the broader cultural identity of Kentucky fried chicken.