The World’s Biggest Fish Fry revolves around fried catfish dinners (12,000 pounds to be exact), parades, dancing, rodeo nights, carnival rides, fishing and more.

This long-standing spring celebration began as "Mule Day" in 1938. After Kentucky Lake was formed, it became the World's Biggest Fish Fry, a celebration of fishing, food and friends!

The goal of this favorite festival? Making sure every guest goes home well fed and happy. If you didn’t grow up around the delicacy of catfish, a platter served in the “Fish Tent" might seem overwhelming. The generous portions include farm-raised catfish fried to perfection, hushpuppies, coleslaw, beans, French fries piled high and a cold drink to wash it all down.

The week-long festival features concerts, a carnival, grand parade, rodeo, and catfish races, yes, you read that correctly!

Schedule of Events:

Arts and Crafts Show

10AM-8:30PM

Immerse yourself in a vibrant showcase of handmade wonders where talented artisans bring their unique creations to life. From intricately crafted jewelry to stunning paintings, there’s something for every art enthusiast.

Location: Henry County Fairgrounds

Catfish Races

11 a.m.

Location: Downtown Paris – Henry County Courthouse Lawn

Swimming down 15-foot, clear-plastic racing troughs, locally caught catfish compete for prizes for their sponsors. Everyone can participate in the Catfish Races by sponsoring a fish in this stand-out event and those who register early will receive a colorful race t-shirt. An opportunity prior to the event is to write and submit a fish tale to the Paris Post-Intelligencer (P-I). Several will be printed in the P-I, and winning tales will be read aloud on race day. Named after local long-time editor and publisher of The Paris Post-Intelligencer, the Bill Willaims Catfish Races benefit REAL Hope Youth Center.

Racers in each heat vie for gift certificates from local restaurants, trophies and best of all, bragging rights for an entire year. Surprisingly, not everyone is excited about holding a slick, whiskery catfish. That’s why participants can request a “fish handler" to race in their place. No matter how many folks decide to participate, there’s always room for one more entry!