The seventh Bourbon & Beyond welcomed fans from over 50 states and around the globe and over 120 music artists on five stages to Louisville, Kentucky over the weekend. The World’s Largest Bourbon, Food & Music Festival was held from September 11-14 at the at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky and featured an incredible music lineup of music legends and rising stars with headliners The Lumineers, Benson Boone and Alabama Shakes on Thursday; Phish, Khruangbin and Joe Bonamassa on Friday; Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson, Jack White and Vance Joy on Saturday; and Noah Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls and Megan Moroney on Sunday. The lineup also included Cage The Elephant, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Collective Soul, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Iron & Wine, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Switchfoot, Third Eye Blind, Ringo Starr & His All Star Band, Pixies, Lake Street Dive, Dashboard Confessional, Foreigner, Blues Traveler and many others.
This year, Bourbon & Beyond’s newly expanded footprint doubled the square footage of past layouts, and made greater use of the Kentucky Exposition Center’s infrastructure, creating a more comfortable and resilient experience for fans. In addition, all festival passes included FREE access to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom.
This year’s festival was packed with unforgettable performances, surprise collaborations, and historic moments that will be remembered for years to come.
Thursday
- Kentucky’s own Cage The Elephant performed an electrifying set.
- Benson Boone made his highly anticipated Bourbon & Beyond debut.
- Louisville welcomed Alabama Shakes back for the first time in ten years, celebrating their much-awaited 2025 reunion tour.
- Derek Trucks joined The Lumineers on stage for a special collaboration that set the tone for the weekend ahead.
Friday
- Guster brought the house down with surprise guest appearances from Phish’s Mike Gordon and Iron & Wine.
- Phish captivated fans with an epic three-hour, two-set performance that became one of the weekend’s defining highlights.
Saturday
- Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson delivered a powerful, 150 minute home-state headlining set.
- Jack White made his triumphant return to the Bourbon & Beyond stage with a fan favorite, electrifying set.
- Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band created a magical celebration of classic rock with Steve Lukather (Toto), Colin Hay (Men at Work), Hamish Stuart (Average White Band), Warren Ham, Buck Johnson, and Greg Bissonette. The set became legendary when Jack White joined Ringo on stage for a historic performance of “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
Sunday
- Foreigner gave their final festival performance with Kelly Hansen as lead vocalist, made even more poignant when the Jefferson County Public Schools Alumni Choir joined them for “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
- Lake Street Dive welcomed a special collaboration with Lawrence.
- Noah Kahan performed an unreleased song, “The Great Divide,” before teaming up with Nathaniel Rateliff for a stirring rendition of “Northern Attitude.”
The Fork & Flask curated by Kroger Stage brought together an extraordinary lineup of culinary and spirits programming, featuring celebrity chefs including Chris Santos (Chopped), Edward Lee (The Mind of a Chef), Claudette Zepeda (Top Chef Season 15, Founder of Chispa Hospitality), Chef Esther Choi (Food Network TV personality, Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped), Louisville’s own Anthony Lamas, (Seviche A Latin Restaurant and Bar Rescue), and Chef Lawrence Weeks (North of Bourbon).
The stage also welcomed bourbon expert Chris Blandford and Chef Amanda Freitag (Top Chef and Chopped) alongside tastings from premium brands including Old Rip Van Winkle, Angel’s Envy, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Buffalo Trace and more.
Programming highlights throughout the weekend include a taping of the Firkin Podcast with Redferrin; “Family Cookin” with Terry Bradshaw and his son-in-law Chef Noah Hester; Unscripted & Uncorked actress Elizabeth Banks (Archer Roose Wines); appearances from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear; and comedian and Fathertime founder Jim Gaffigan. Other special guests participating in the culinary and bourbon programming include 49 Winchester, Trombone Shorty, Kelly Hansen, Redferrin, Salt Hank, Katie Crutchfield and more.
This year, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® World Bourbon Toast™ was livestreamed worldwide all day from the Festival, culminating in The World’s Largest Bourbon Toast from the stage on Sunday. The band Foreigner joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience on stage to raise a glass of Angel’s Envy Triple Oak, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Finished in a Blend of Hungarian, Chinkapin & French Oak Barrels, poured by Angel’s Envy Master Distiller Owen Martin in front of thousands of fans. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg also presented Danny Wimmer with a “Key to the City.”
Kroger Big Bourbon Bar brought the bourbon trail straight to the festival. Bourbon expert Chris Blandford expertly curated an extensive lineup and designed specialty cocktails for fans served by hometown mixologists. In addition, the Bourbon & Beyond 5k took place on September 21 on the Kentucky Exposition Center grounds. The event was sold out, and participants enjoyed live music throughout the course.
Bourbon & Beyond recently won Pollstar’s Global 2025 Festival of the Year, and is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. It was also named one of Garden & Gun’s Ten Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals.
