Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival

Welcome to the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival Official Website. 

The 89th KMLF will be conducted Thursday, May 23rd thru Sunday, May 26th; we hope you will join Mrs. Becky Combs Collett our Chairperson and her Co-Chairman Mr. Colby Slusher.  Reigning Queen Miss Gabrielle Chandler Pyles of Lindsey Wilson College  and Reigning Princess Sarah Elizabeth Combs of Pineville High School will be in attendance.  Everyone is working to ensure your visit to the 2019 KMLF will be memoriable. We are very excited about introducing our new candidates.  Keep checking in for updated website information and announcements.

2018 Queen-Gabrielle Chandler Pyles

Lindsey Wilson College

2018 Princess- Sarah Elizabeth Combs

Pineville High School

The Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival is one of Kentucky's oldest festivals, finding its start in 1931, when Mrs. Annie Walker Burns established the festival as a way to honor her famous ancestor, Dr. Thomas Walker, a pioneer explore. Since that time, the devotion and hospitality of so many, along with the resonant history of the festival, have enabled this beautiful event to thrive for eighty years.

We think you'll enjoy our quaint and historic town nestled in the Appalachian foothills of Bell County, Kentucky where Southern hospitality reigns throughout. The festival features many events including a Queen's Coronation. Many Queens have been celebrated in song, verse and festival for centuries, it's only suitable that our time honored festival garland a Queen with our native Mountain Laurel. We open our homes to these accomplished and lovely young Queen Candidates, selected by and to represent their Kentucky College or University in the annual pageant. During the Coronation, held at an exquisite outdoor amphitheater near the close of the weekend, each Queen curtseys to the Governor of Kentucky- and in turn he crowns the winning Queen.

We are certain that as you browse this site, you will be more encouraged to join us as we celebrate the 89th annual Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival. All KMLF events are family oriented; many are free and open to the public; those requiring tickets are reasonably priced. For more information contact us the KMLF office at (606) 337-6103.  Find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Photos can be viewed on our gallery.