Kentucky’s bourbon-soaked answer to Coachella is supersizing itself again. Bourbon & Beyond returns September 24–27 to the Kentucky Exposition Center with what organizers are calling the largest lineup in the festival’s eight-year history: more than 100 artists across five stages, plus the usual avalanche of premium pours and chef-driven indulgence.
The four-day bill reads like a cross-format summit meeting. Thursday belongs to Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, with jam darlings Goose rounding out the night. Friday pivots to folk-pop and indie polish courtesy of Mumford & Sons, Kacey Musgraves, and Foster the People. Saturday leans roots-heavy with Kentucky native Chris Stapleton, The Red Clay Strays, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Sunday closes on a nostalgia-meets-jam note with Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Counting Crows.
Beyond the headliners, the undercard sprawls across decades and genres: The Flaming Lips, Gary Clark Jr., Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Portugal. The Man, Of Monsters and Men, Father John Misty, Marcus King Band, and dozens more, including a Ramones tribute supergroup dubbed The Return of Jackie and Judy featuring members of Sleater-Kinney and Fred Armisen.
Producer Danny Wimmer Presents is leaning hard into the “destination” ethos. Festivalgoers get exclusive access to rides at Kentucky Kingdom, which sits inside the event footprint, alongside the revamped Fork & Flask culinary program curated by Kroger. The Kroger Big Bourbon Bar will once again host The Bluegrass Situation Stage, pairing line dancing with a steady stream of regional string bands.
There’s also a civic pride angle: last year’s move deeper into the Exposition Center campus reportedly helped generate more than $43 million in local economic impact when paired with sister fest Louder Than Life. Organizers are betting that the 2026 edition — recently named Pollstar’s Global Festival of the Year — will further cement Louisville as a late-September pilgrimage site for fans who like their guitar riffs neat and their bourbon barrel-aged.
Passes, from GA to the high-gloss Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP tier, are on sale now. But the real pitch is simpler: four days where arena rock, Americana, and bluegrass share the same skyline — and the same glass. For what it’s worth, the back-to-back weekends of Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond have always been a fun and memorable staple for the Hit Parader team. We can’t recommend either enough.
All details on passes can be found here.
