The sixth Bourbon & Beyond set a record attendance of 210,000 over the 4-day event last weekend, and a single day attendance of 60,000 on Saturday, marking the highest single day attendance and the largest music festival in Kentucky history.

Fred had several stage appearances, including interviews with Derek Trucks, ranked as one of the greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone, and legendary singer Bruce Hornsby. He also tasted 16 whiskeys to close out the culinary stage of Bourbon & Beyond on Sunday. Larceny A124 won the Blind Bourbon taste-off.

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 Band on 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.

-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.”

-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.”

-Sunday night wrapped up with back-to-back headlining performances from Kentucky natives Tyler Childers and My Morning Jacket.

-Derek Trucks (Tedeschi Trucks Bands) guested with Dave Matthews Band on “Lie In Our Graves” and with Black Pumas on “Dirty Dirty,” and also launched his new Ass Pocket Whiskey at the festival.

-Louisville’s own My Morning Jacket covered Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” with the help of Lucius vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig.

-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.”

-Teddy Swims performed with Allen Stone on Saturday, joining together for a cover of “Sara Smile” by Hall & Oates.

-Cody Jinks covered AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll).”

-Smith & Myers’ very first festival appearance (Brent Smith and Zach Myers of Shinedown) with a set featuring originals and stripped down versions of Shinedown hits.

-Fans were treated to a captivating performance from Sierra Ferrell; the breakout star won Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the Americana Honors & Awards a few days prior.

-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.

-Lucius joined The War on Drugs on stage for their collaborative song “I Don’t Live Here Anymore (feat. Lucius).”

–Royel Otis performed their viral hit cover of “Linger” by The Cranberries.

-The Culinary Atelier and The Bourbon Experience on the festival’s Workshop Stage showcased culinary programming from some of the nation’s top chefs and a wide array of bourbon tastings and workshops. The Workshop Stage celebrates Louisville’s rich bourbon and culinary culture and also featured special guest music artists including Mat Kearney, Melissa Etheridge, Jim Gaffigan, Charles Wesley Godwin, Derek Trucks, Molly Tuttle, Young The Giant and more.

-The Culinary Atelier demonstrations with celebrity chefs and artist pairings at Bourbon & Beyond were hosted by chef Chris Santos (Chopped) and chef Edward Lee (The Mind of a Chef). They were joined by acclaimed chefs including Tiffani Faison (Food Network), Marc Murphy (Chopped, World Central Kitchen), Kelsey Barnard Clark (Winner of Top Chef Season 16) and Louisville’s Noam Bilitzer (Chopped) along with many more.

-Young The Giant joined Chef Claudette Zepeda on the Workshop Stage to cook a chicken tinga masala, combining Mexican and Indian cuisine. The band’s Sameer Gadhia said, “This is the coolest thing we’ve done at a music festival.”

-The Bourbon Experience–hosted by bourbon expert Chris Blandford and chef Amanda Freitag (Top Chef and Chopped) featured bourbon talent and celebrity guests including world renowned bourbon expert Fred Minnick, and industry leaders from premium brands such as Pappy & Co, Angel’s Envy, Woodford Reserve, Old Rip Van Winkle, and many more.

-New this year, Bourbon & Beyond attendees kept the entertainment going during the Bourbon & Beyond weekend with a special series of local events presented by Danny Wimmer Presents, including the sold out Bourbon & Beyond 5k Mayorthon held just outside the festival grounds, as well as the Bourbon, Brunch & Bluegrass event in NuLu.

-Kroger Big Bourbon Bar featured the best bluegrass bands, line dancing and expertly curated picks of Kentucky’s finest.

Here’s a taste of what media had to say about Bourbon & Beyond 2024:

“With over 100 acts spread across five stages plus culinary and spirits demonstrations and celebrity appearances, the real magic of Bourbon & Beyond lies in dipping a toe into multiple offerings throughout each festival day.” –The Courier Journal

“Should you need any more proof that master distillers and chefs have achieved rock-star status, look no further than Bourbon & Beyond. At this year’s event, bourbon and culinary luminaries including chefs Edward Lee, Amanda Freitag, Chris Santos, and bourbon expert Chris Blandford share the spotlight with such big-name musical acts as Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Neil Young, Dave Matthews Band, and dozens more. Panel discussions and demos keep the mix going, pairing brands like Pappy Van Winkle and Uncle Nearest with artists, including My Morning Jacket, Melissa Etheridge, and Kevin Bacon. Rare and vintage pours are on offer, and taste bourbon’s tropical side at the Tiki Barrel Bar.” –Garden & Gun

Bourbon & Beyond is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.

For more information on Bourbon & Beyond visit https://bourbonandbeyond.com/.

(Aerial photo at top by Sam Shapiro)