Travis Kelce need not fight for his right to party on Kentucky Derby weekend.
To help kick off the festivities, the Kansas City Chiefs star tight end made a surprise appearance at Sports Illustrated's Revel at the Races party at the Ice House in Louisville May 3, a day before the horse-racing event at Churchill Downs.
Travis, wearing a mint button-down shirt with white embroidery over a white top, was spotted sitting in a VIP area and also backstage, as seen in a photo the Chainsmokers' Alex Pall, who had performed with bandmate Drew Taggart, shared on his Instagram Stories.
During their headlining set, the duo played and sampled songs by Travis' girlfriend Taylor Swift—"Our Song" and "Mean," the Courier-Journal reported.
The bash took place almost more than two months after the NFL star and the Grammy winner celebrated the Chiefs' Super Bowl 2024 victory with the Chainsmokers at their DJ booth at a Las Vegas nightclub.
Taylor, who is preparing to begin a European leg of her Eras tour May 9 after a two-month hiatus, was not spotted at the Sports Illustrated bash.
During her break, she and the NFL star were spotted together several times, including on nights out in California—including a double date with Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, while vacationing in the Bahamas, partying at Coachella and at events with his Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wife Brittany Mahomes in Las Vegas, where Travis called Taylor his "significant other" at his teammate's charity auction.
The Sports Illustrated bash took place the same day as another pre-Kentucky Derby party, the Barnstable Brown Gala. That event included celebrity guests such as Tracy Morgan, Josh Groban and the late Anna Nicole Smith's daughter Dannielynn Birkhead, 17, and her dad Larry Birkhead.
Read on to see photos of stars at pre-Kentucky Derby parties...
Larry Birkhead & Dannielynn Birkhead
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Wynonna Judd
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Gina Torres
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Martha Stewart
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Thomas Rhett
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Alix Earle
Wearing Malone Souliers shoes at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Josh Groban & Natalie McQueen
at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Larry Birkhead & Dannielynn Birkhead
en route to the Kentucky Derby.
Chandler Parsons & Haylee Parsons
at the FanDuel party.
Luke Bryan
at the FanDuel party.
Ne-Yo
at the FanDuel party.
Travis Kelce
at Sports Illustrated's Revel at the Races party.
Tracy Morgan
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Larry Birkhead & Dannielynn Birkhead
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Stephen Amell & Cassandra Amell
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Josh Groban & Natalie McQueen
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Lee Brice & Sara Brice
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Wynonna Judd
at the Barnstable Brown Gala.