Just when you thought you couldn’t possibly be more excited for, (or dreading), the upcoming festival season, Danny Wimmer Presents dropped a bombshell announcement for both Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life!
As part of recently announced 10-year lease agreement with Kentucky Venues to continue to host Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life at the Highland Festival Grounds through 2035, DWP has introduced a major festival site expansion and extensive enhancements for both festivals.
Maps and renderings released by festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents show the festival moving away from the field adjacent to the Kentucky Exposition Center and into the parking area just inside the Expo Center’s main gate entrance, (Gate 1). According to a press release sent out by DWP Wednesday afternoon, the new layout will greatly expand the festival area by better utilizing the Kentucky Exposition Center’s infrastructure. Festival goers can look forward to more space, improved crowd flow, and much more room to relax.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of the expansion is the incorporation of Kentucky Kingdom into the festival experience. All festival passes now include free admission to Kentucky Kingdom from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. daily during the eight combined days of both festivals (the park will be closed to the general public during this time). Attendees can look forward to 18 fan-favorite attractions, including the Giant Wheel (which will run until 10:00 p.m.), Lightning Run, Scream Extreme, Skycatcher, and more (Hurricane Bay Water Park will not be open during the festivals). In addition, the existing Kentucky Kingdom Amphitheater will now host an astounding 7th stage for Louder Than Life, where an additional 12 bands will perform (no word yet on whether it will be utilized for Bourbon & Beyond).
The Exposition Center itself is also getting in on the action, as West Wing Hall will now host an indoor “immersive merch experience” featuring festival gear, concessions, sponsor activations, and lounge seating, and offer a much-needed air-conditioned escape from the sun and heat for festivalgoers.
“This move has been years in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally bring it to life. With Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life both growing year over year, we knew it was time for more space, more comfort, and more ways to elevate the fan experience beyond just the music,” says Danny Wimmer of DWP. “The new layout delivers so much to be excited about: expanded shade, indoor experiences, air-conditioned areas, and—thanks to our collaboration with Kentucky Kingdom—an amusement park inside the festival. It’s a truly unique addition that brings incredible value to fans, along with more food options, more ways to cool off, and so much more to explore. I’m ecstatic because this is just the beginning of something truly special for our festivals in Louisville.”
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DWP is also going the extra mile to ensure comfort by installing several turf zones over the concrete near the main stages and general admission areas, as well as offering more tree-shaded areas throughout the grounds.
Additional improvements also include:
- A second entrance to help ease the flow and get fans in the gates quicker.
- A 35% larger Mint VIP area with an expanded layout and a brand new three-story shaded viewing platform offering an elevated view of both main stages, an added 70X70 large shade structure, and upgraded amenities throughout.
- Bourbon & Beyond will now feature an expanded lawn chair area, more than doubling its size from previous years.
- Additional transportation improvements include better utilization of the infrastructure in place on the festival grounds, including roadways and parking as they were originally designed, a dedicated rideshare/taxi area, and shuttle service will be vastly improved.
Bourbon & Beyond—which is billed as “The World’s Largest Bourbon, Food & Music Festival” and was recently named Pollstar’s Global 2025 Festival of the Year—runs September 11-14 and features over 120 musical artists spread out over five stages, along with world-class culinary and bourbon experiences. Headlining artists include Phish (playing two sets; their only festival appearance of 2025 and first Louisville show in three decades), Noah Kahan, Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson, The Lumineers, Jack White, Benson Boone, and an Alabama Shakes reunion.
Louder Than Life returns Sept. 18-21, hosting more than 175 bands/artists over seven stages. Headliners include a reunion set by metal legends Slayer, Deftones, Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me The Horizon, Rob Zombie (performing White Zombie’s Astro-Creep: 2000 album in full), Sleep Token, and Bad Omens.
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In 2024, Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life generated a total of more than $33 million in economic impact, according to Louisville Tourism, and drew more than 300,000 attendees, booking over 60,000 hotel room nights and creating a visitor boom at local restaurants and other businesses, including bourbon distilleries along the Urban Bourbon Trail. Since DWP’s debut Louisville festival, Louder Than Life, in 2014, the DWP festivals have experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 36,000 attendees over two days to nearly 400,000 attendees over eight days. The 2024 edition was a record-breaking year, with over 70% of fans coming from outside Louisville, representing all 50 states and 27 countries.
The Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center is located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life are produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.
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This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2025.