The Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival has made a name for itself by having stellar lineups. Bourbon and Beyond 2024 once again brings us one of the best lineups of festival season. With two years under our belts as festival attendees, East of 8th is ready to share our pro tips for going to the Louisville, KY festival and having the best time!
The Bourbon and Beyond 2024 Lineup:
The Headliners:
Normally we fill this space with quick blurbs about each headliner and include a link to some of their music. That’s not necessary with the names at the top of each day at Bourbon and Beyond 2024. Thursday night is topped by the legendary rocker, Neil Young. Friday will be a full-on jam session as the Dave Mattews Band closes the day. (Bourbon and Beyond usually features longer headliner set times than most festivals. We can’t wait to see what Dave does with 2 hours or more at his disposal!) With his 2023/2024 tour shattering numerous venue attendance records, Zach Bryan is one of the most popular modern acts available—and he closes out Saturday night. Finally, the whole festival wraps up with Kentucky native, Tyler Childers. Although Mr. Childers is a bit more somber these days, he still puts together can’t miss shows.
The 2024 Undercard:
So we admittedly gushed a bit about the Bourbon and Beyond 2024 headliners. But wait…there’s more. Quite honestly, as good as the headliners are, this year’s undercard is so loaded, it may be an even bigger selling point for the fest.
Who are we most excited about? EVERYONE! It’s truly hard to “highlight” some artists here without feeling like we are slighting so many others. (but we’ll try)
Starting with Thursday, Beck always puts on an amazing show. Next, who wouldn’t want to see 90’s pop rockers, Matchbox Twenty? Want some emotive folk? Fleet Foxes have you covered. The day is so loaded with talent that Lyle Lovett is all the way down at 7th on the Friday lineup! We can also personally vouch that Maren Morris, Arlo Parks, and the Record Company are shows you won’t want to miss. Oh…and who’s ready to sing along to “Black Horse and The Cherry Tree” and “Suddenly I See” with KT Tunstile?
Friday sees the exciting return of Black Pumas after the group took some time away from touring. Next, we promise you that you never want to miss a chance to hear the amazing guitar work of Molly Tuttle. Blending hip hop and funk, Afro-Cuban artists Cimafunk is easily one of the most exciting live performance we’ve caught over the last few years. Friday at Bourbon and Beyond is so loaded, the tiny print has names like the Jerry Douglas Band, Duane Betts, and Grace Bowers. And, like Thursday, it also has that one surprise name that just pops out at you: Melissa Ethridge.
Saturday presents yet another day of open to close artists we can’t wait to see. Sierra Ferrell’s throwback country/folk performances are never dissapoint. Amigo the Devil always leaves you wishing there was time for a few more songs in his sets. And Samantha Fish is going to bring us a guitar-forward blues party.
We sure hope that we still have “festival mode” energy by the time Sunday arrives. One thing that immediately jumps out to us: a hometown show from the jam rockers, My Morning Jacket. Even though they aren’t closing out the fest, their spot on the lineup assures ample set time to work through their lengthy catalogue of hits. Earlier that day, The War on Drugs will bring us some indie alt-rock, X Ambassadors will share some pop anthems, Larkin Poe will put the rock in folk rock, and The War and Treaty will fill the Louisville air with soulful harmonies. And everyone will go to check out The Bacon Brothers because who’s not going to go see Kevin Bacon?
Where And When Is Bourbon and Beyond 2024?
The 2024 edition of the Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival is scheduled for September 19-22, 2024 in Louisville, KY. The festival is located at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Why is it called Bourbon and Beyond?
In addition to plenty of great music, the festival has extensive opportunities to taste and learn about bourbon. At least in years past, the bluegrass tent also housed a dozen or more distilleries set up to sell you cocktails featuring their signature bourbons. There are also brand activations and tastings. In 2023 there was a rare bourbon speakeasy as well.
Bourbon and Beyond also features several cooking demonstrations—including podcast recordings with celebrity chefs. While many of these have sounded interesting, we will admit that we’ve only been to a handful over the last two years because there was just too much music we wanted to hear.
Pro Tips For Bourbon and Beyond – With Some Updates For 2024:
The Stages: This year looks like there are going to be some changes from what we experienced the last two years. In 2022 and 2023, there were technically 3 stages, that in reality functioned like there were only 2 stages. The main stage is actually two stages, side by side. When the music stops on one stage, there is a 5-10 minute break, and music starts right back up on the neighboring stage. This fest is also super punctual with those set times. This means that you get to see almost every artist on the lineup without any overlap. The main stage appears to be the same for 2024.
Last year, the only exception to non-overlapping shows was the bluegrass stage. Located in the big bourbon tent in 2022 and 2023, the shows in there took place at the same time as the shows on the main stages. Between bluegrass sets, the stage either shows a feed of the main stage or has a DJ playing on it. Although we chose not to participate, the people who were line dancing seemed to be having a great time!
The 2024 festival map now shows two additional stages that are set up I the same side-by-side set up as the main stage. We do not know the details yet, but we have noticed that there are more bluegrass artists on this lineup than in years past. We do not know if the bluegrass stage is moving out of the bourbon tent or if the festival has different plans for these new stages. We will provide updates if we hear more.
VIP vs. General Admission might be important to you: Bourbon and Beyond has a large VIP area that stretches out in front of both of the main stages. This means that if you want to be right on top of the stage, you are going to need a VIP pass. We usually found a spot back in the General Admission crowd where we had plenty of elbow room, so that may actually be preferable for some people anyway.
Again, the 2024 festival map shows two new stages. We currently do not know if they will have the same VIP set up as the main stages.
The Sound: At the two main stages, the sound is top notch. It’s arguably the most consistent sound quality of all of the festivals we attend. The Bluegrass stage in 2022 had great sounds, but in 2023 the crowd noise in the bourbon tent often overpowered it. Last year it never seemed loud enough to handle the background noise. If the bluegrass stage remains in the bourbon tent, and an artist is on your “must see” list, plan to arrive early because the folks who were front-row-center always had a good time. If we get additional information about the new stage set up, we will provide an update.
Staying in Louisville for Bourbon and Beyond:
If a hotel ticket package is in your budget, it provides you the best opportunity to stay in a hotel close to the festival. The fest has deals on hotel packages that save you money when getting a room and tickets. There is also a camping option which is a separate pass from your ticket. We chose to do this last year. While the camping pass seems a bit more expensive than some other festivals, keep in mind that a campsite can hold up to four people so the cost can be divided. Also, the four-day camping pass was still about the price of 1.5 nights staying in any decent hotel in the entire city. The price last year included access to showers that had plenty of hot water. We have already secured our camping pass for 2024. One thing to keep in mind is that the camping area is under the takeoff area for the Louisville airport. Saturday and Sunday wasn’t that bad, but Friday and Monday mornings definitely called for ear plugs.
There are a couple reasons why we recommend exploring camping and hotel package options. They are the only options that allow you to have in and out privileges. Otherwise, once you scanned into the festival for the day, you had to stay. Secondly, Louisville does not have a ton of hotels. They can be pricey during the festival weekend, even if staying farther away. Third, the Lyft/Uber situation can be unpredictable and expensive. Even with the festival happening, it’s hard to find drivers. In 2023 we stayed at a hotel about 20 minutes away, but it took about another 20 minutes to get an Uber to get to the festival. And cost about $30-$45 a ride. And…on some nights it took hours to get an Uber/Lyft to leave—even when we thought we had it made by pre-scheduling a ride. To maximize your time at the festival, we recommend official accommodations which are all within walking distance.
Lawn chairs: Unlike a lot of festivals, Bourbon and Beyond allows a limited number of lawn chairs into the festival grounds. There is a designated chair space and you will need a separate “chair pass” to bring it in. Quantities are limited on chair passes so you will want to plan ahead.
Ticket Information For Bourbon & Beyond 2024:
As discussed in our pro tips, there are a variety of ticket options. Unfortunately, some of the VIP options have already sold out. You can check out the available tickets and get on the waiting list for others here.
Connect with the Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY
Listen To The Bourbon And Beyond 2024 Playlist:
This festival-wide playlist was curated by the festival’s producer, Danny Wimmer Presents!
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