FAQs

The Duck Fest Derby presented by JM Family Enterprises, Inc. is a fun, family-friendly fundraising event that benefits 20,000+ children and families annually by Kids In Distress and affiliate Family Central, Inc. Adopt $5 ducks to encourage, educate, empower, and equip South Florida children and families.

Each duck is 1 entry in the Duck Fest Derby and is eligible to win one of our fabulous prizes including the Grand Prize of $10,000. 100% of the proceeds from the ducks directly benefits children and families served by KID and FCI.

Thanks for wanting to sponsor the KID Duck Fest Derby! Please call the Advancement Team at 954.390.7620 or email events@kidinc.org for sponsorship opportunities.

Thank you! We are always looking for incredible volunteers! For more information, email volunteer@KIDinc.org or call Duck Headquarters at 954.390.7620.

We welcome students to volunteer or participate in the Duck Fest Derby through fundraising and advocacy. Children of any age can fundraise (or “sell ducks”) by creating an individual or team page and get service hours for their advocacy work. Due to FL law, children 17 years and under are unable to “adopt a duck” themselves, but they can spread their philanthropic wings through the Duck Fest Derby to help the children and families. For more information, contact Duck Headquarters at 954.390.7620.

Nope! The more ducks you adopt, the more chances you have to win. We would love to see you win all of our fabulous prizes. Plus, there is no limit to the difference you can make in the lives of the children and families we serve.

This year, there are 40,000 ducks up for adoption, so each duck has a 1:40,000 chance of winning a prize. The more ducks you have, the greater your chances are of winning a prize. Since 100% of the duck adoptions benefit 20,000+ South Florida children and families served annually, we believe every duck is a winner.

No, you do not need to be present to win. You could be halfway around the world and still get your prize; but we hope that you join us since it will be so much fun! As long as you have provided the Duck Fest Derby Team with accurate contact information when adopting your ducks, we will contact you the following week. You can also check out the homepage for a list of our winners after the event.

If you are present, you can pick up your prize at the event. If you aren’t there, don’t worry. The Duck Fest Derby Team will contact you the following week to make arrangements.

Our 40,000 rubber ducks all need to be adopted! As long as ducks are still available, we will have a duck adoption booth open at the event. Duck adoptions will close approximately 1 hour prior to the race to ensure all entries are accounted for at the start.

Esplanade Park is in downtown Fort Lauderdale at 400 SW 2nd St. It is located on SW 2nd Avenue and SW 5th Avenue. The park is directly across from the Museum of Discovery & Science, and next to the Broward Center of Performing Arts.

Metered city, street, and garage parking is available in many different places close to the park.

The KID Duck Fest Derby is a free event open to the public. We want you to have a fun, family-friendly experience that creates memories for a lifetime! The only costs associated with the event are duck adoptions, concessions, food truck vendors, and parking.

VID (Very Important Duck) is our exclusive area for corporate sponsors. VID guests receive an all access pass to a covered portico offering delicious catered food, signature drinks, comfortable seating, and an unobstructed view of the duck race. To become a sponsor, please call the Advancement Team at 954.390.7620 for sponsorship information. You can also email the Advancement Team at events@kidinc.org.

Choosing the winning duck is a highly monitored and audited process. As the ducks make their way to the finish line, they are funneled single-file through a tube so it’s easy to see the row of winners. An outside auditing firm draws the individual ducks out of the water, places them in numbered containers for counting and identification, and verifies the winners of each prize before the official announcement.

Click HERE for the official rules

Kids In Distress (KID) is a licensed nationally accredited agency working for the prevention of child abuse, preservation of the family, and the care and treatment of abused and neglected children. KID services helped more than 20,000 South Florida children and families last year through signature programs such as family strengthening/prevention, foster care, educational services, Family Counseling Center, and more. For more information, visit www.KIDinc.org.

Money raised during the KID Duck Fest Derby directly benefits the 20,000+ children and families served by KID. Your support allows us to offer excellent services as we encourage, educate, empower, and equip those that we serve daily.