“Bourbon & Beyond is our love letter to the city of Louisville and the great state of Kentucky,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “We can’t wait to showcase why Louisville has become our home away from home, so having the opportunity to curate an unbelievable festival experience rooted in amazing musical performances combined with our passion for bourbon and culinary arts has our dream come true.”
Hailed by Forbes magazine as “One of America’s most unique festival offerings,” Bourbon & Beyond continues to live up to its reputation as The World’s Largest Music & Bourbon Festival with a wide array of talented music acts along with the best pours and tempting eats from Kentucky’s favorite establishments. For the first time on the Bourbon & Beyond stages, the festival welcomes headliners Bruno Mars, The Killers and The Black Keys, along with the return of Brandi Carlile after her unforgettable performance last year.
Over 65 musical acts in total will perform over the four-day festival. In addition to headliners Bruno Mars, The Killers, Brandi Carlile and The Black Keys, the 2023 lineup includes 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Duran Duran, Billy Strings, The Black Crowes, The Avett Brothers, Blondie, Train, Hozier, Jon Batiste, Brittany Howard, Ryan Bingham, Babyface, Midland, Bastille, Spoon, The Gaslight Anthem, First Aid Kit, Old Crow Medicine Show, Buddy Guy, Aloe Blacc, Wayne Newton, Mavis Staples, City and Colour, Inhaler, Paolo Nutini, ZZ Ward, Fantastic Negrito, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Luke Grimes, The Lone Bellow, Joy Oladokun, Maggie Rose, Hailey Whitters, Darrell Scott Band, Danielle Ponder, Dumpstaphunk, Boy Named Banjo, Brandy Clark, John Primer, Willie Jones, Stephen Wilson Jr., Drayton Farley, Goodbye June, As You Were, Vivi Rincon, Kelsey Waloon, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, The Lil Smokies, Twisted Pine, The Cleverlys, Town Mountain, Della Mae, Sunny War, Lindsay Lou, Dan Tyminski, and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen.
In addition to the amazing musical acts, Bourbon & Beyond festival-goers will be treated to one-of-a-kind festival experiences throughout the weekend. The four-day event will feature daily workshops and demonstrations at the Team Kentucky Bourbon Stage, Presented by Kentucky Proud and the Kentucky Venues Culinary Stage, Presented by GE Appliances, pairing world-renowned master distillers and celebrity chefs with guest artist appearances and a who’s who of Kentucky personalities. The programming is hosted by Chefs Amanda Freitag, Chris Santos, and Ed Lee, the lead bourbon buyer in the United States, Chris Blandford, and Blind Bourbon Live Fred Minnick. The complete bourbon and culinary lineup will be announced this summer.
Calling Louisville, KY home, Bourbon & Beyond is the companion festival to Louder Than Life, which takes place the following weekend, September 21-24, 2023. With the back-to-back festivals, 275,000 fans turned out in 2022, creating over $43 million in local economic impact, an attendance boom at all bourbon distilleries along the urban bourbon trail, and more than 50,000 hotel nights.
Bourbon & Beyond also partners with Fuse to provide exclusive passes and hotel bundles. In addition, fans interested in celebrating back-to-back weekends in Louisville with both Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life can purchase an Exacta Pass for less than $60 per festival day (Exacta Pass starts at $459.99 plus fees).
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