210,000 music fans come together for Bourbon & Beyond
Largest music festival In Kentucky history, Including highest single day attendance
The sixth Bourbon & Beyond made history last week with record setting attendance of 210,000 over the 4-day event and a single day attendance of 60,000 on Saturday, marking the highest single day attendance and the largest music festival in Kentucky history.
The World’s Largest Bourbon, Food & Music Festival was held from September 19-22 at the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky and featured an incredible music lineup of music legends and rising stars with headliners Sting and Beck on Thursday, Dave Matthews Band and Tedeschi Trucks Bandon Friday, Zach Bryan and Cody Jinks on Saturday, and Tyler Childers and My Morning Jacket on Sunday. The lineup of over 100 artists on five music stages also included Matchbox Twenty, The National, Whiskey Myers, Black Pumas, The War On Drugs, The Beach Boys, Mt. Joy, Fleet Foxes, Young the Giant, Maren Morris, The Head and The Heart, Melissa Etheridge, Teddy Swims, and many others.
In addition to surpassing attendance records, Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life (held September 26-29 at the same site) continue to generate a massive economic impact for the region. This year, a combined 400,000 fans are expected between the two events. For 2023, Louisville Tourism reported that both festivals generated $30 million economic impact and over 60,000 room nights in hotels throughout the area.
Here are some highlights from Bourbon & Beyond 2024:
–Sting and Beck closed out the first night, treating fans to sets packed with their hits.
Sting. Photo: Steve Thrasher
–Zach Bryan thanked local fans for supporting him since his very first show in the small town of Pineville, Kentucky and commented that Bourbon & Beyond is “the greatest festival anywhere.”
Zach Bryan. Photo: Jake Miller
–Dave Matthews Band jammed for nearly two hours, with a set including covers of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower.”
Dave Matthews Band. Photo: Steve Thrasher
-Sunday night wrapped up with back-to-back headlining performances from Kentucky natives Tyler Childers and My Morning Jacket.
Tyler Childers. Photo: Steve Thrasher
-Louisville’s own My Morning Jacket covered Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” with the help of Lucius vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig.
My Morning Jacket. Photo: Nathan Tucker
–Melissa Etheridge joined celebrity chef Amanda Freitag to cook on the culinary stage. That evening while performing “I Want to Come Over,” Etheridge added in a mash-up of pop sensation Chappell Roan’s hit, “Red Wine Supernova.”
Melissa Etheridge. Photo: Steve Thrasher
–The Bacon Brothers (featuring Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael Bacon) closed their set with Kenny Loggins’ iconic “Footloose,” with “Ren McCormack” himself (Kevin Bacon’s Footloose character) on vocals and tambourine.
The Bacon Brothers. Photo: Steve Thrasher
