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Fandomfest 2017 is ready to kick off tomorrow afternoon at the Jefferson Mall on Outer Loop. The event, which draws fans of many genres from sci-fi and horror to comic books and literary works to anime and other art. 2017 marks the 12th year for the event, which started out as Fright Night in 2005.
Fandomfest runs from July 28 through 30 at the Jefferson Mall Event Space which many may remember as the former Macy’s. Doors are open 4PM to 10PM Friday, 10AM to 7PM Saturday with after-hours events until 2AM, and 11AM to the 4PM close of the show on Sunday. This marks the third home for Fandomfest in as many years after the event moved from the downtown Kentucky International Convention Center due to construction and from the Kentucky Exposition Center due to contract issues.
The new venue brings two floors of vendors, celebrity appearances, fan group meetings, gaming activities and – in a welcome change from previous years – ample free parking for attendees and easy access to shopping and dining opportunities.
The 2017 Fandomfest features celebrities such as Matthew Lillard; Netflix hit Stranger Things’ Peyton Wich (Troy); Flash Gordon’s Sam Jones; Rogue One’s Princess Leia, Ingvild Deila; Original Starsky, Paul Michael Glaser, WWE stars Sting and Al Snow, along with many other voice, television, and movie actors, authors, artists, and more. A partial list of appearances is available on the Fandomfest website.
In addition to celebrity appearances, meet and greets, Q&A sessions, the event also plays host to a large marketplace where collectors can find both new and vintage toys, artwork, novels and more. On top of that, there are numerous panels that discuss topics like Science in Comics, games like Fandom Jeopardy, competitions like the Cosplay Contest, and helpful sessions like Writing Tips for Genre Writing. Attendees looking to relax can even participate in some free retro gaming sessions.
Find full schedules, hours, panels, and more in the official Fandomfest app for iOS and Android or on the event website, fandomfest.com.
Tickets are available at the event box office (cash only) and in advance online starting at $30.
Louder Than Life will return to Champions Park in Louisville once again this year September 30th and October 1st. The two day festival will be returning for its fourth year of music, Gourmet Man Food, craft beer, Bourbon World, and more.
This year’s line-up will feature a variety of acts, including Lacuna Coil, Of Mice & Men, In This Moment, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Eagles of Death Metal, as well as many other rock and heavy metal favorites. Headliner performances Saturday night include Mastodon, Five Finger Death Punch, Rob Zombie and the Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne with Zakk Wylde. Sunday’s feature performances will be Stone Sour, Rise Against, Incubus, and Prophets of Rage. Full details of the line-up are available on the website.
Tickets are currently available online ranging from single-day GA tickets starting at $69.50 to entire festival weekend VIP experiences that include hotel for up to $1450.
The annual Abbey Road on the River festival, a five-day celebration of The Beatles and their music, will run from May 25 through 29th in Jeffersonville.
The festival has moved across the river to Jeffersonville, so fans who have attended in the past when Abbey Road was hosted on the Louisville Waterfront, may need help navigating the new venue.
To help with that, the 2017 AROTR venue map showing the festival’s four main outdoor stages in Big Four Station Park, as well as the other event venues, has just been released.
The Budweiser Stage A is located at the northwest corner of the park, Stage B is in the middle of the park, Four Roses’ Stage C is located just off the Big Four Bridge ramp, and Stage D is near the south end of Big Four Station Park. Additional performances will be held at the Clarion and Sheraton hotels as well as in other area venues.
In addition to the map, the finalized schedule for the 2017 lineup has been published and is now available on the Abbey Road on the River website. This year’s lineup includes dozens of acts, including Herman’s Hermits, The Family Stone, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders, Steve Holley, and many more.
A free concert starring starring Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Thursday, May 25 marks the start of the 2017 festival. Tickets are available online.
On Saturday, April 15, Hunter S. Thompson fans from all over will gather at the LFPL’s Main Library at 301 York St to celebrate the life, work, and legacy of the Gonzo journalist creator. Expanded panel discussions, spoken word and poetry performances, and an all-local musical lineup set this year’s festival apart from previous years.
GonzoFest Louisville will host two different panel discussions on the topics of The Literary Impact of Hunter S. Thompson and Freedom of Speech/Media Literacy. Dr. Lee Remington Williams JD, PhD, of Bellarmine University will lead a 45-minute lecture titled Politics: Decadent and Depraved, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Journalist Michael Lindenberger will moderate the panel discussions and lecture. All panels and spoken word performances will take place inside the Main Library.
GonzoFest Louisville will also feature an all-local lineup with music by Nellie Pearl, Otis Junior, Brother Wolves, Satellite Twin, Brooks Ritter, and Sativa Gumbo. All bands will perform in the library parking lot on York St. Juan Thompson, Hunter’s son, will be here as well, signing copies of his book Stories I Tell Myself: Growing Up with Hunter S. Thompson. Additionally, the festival will host a screening of Where the Buffalo Roam, the semi-biographical film based on the experiences of Hunter S. Thompson starring Thompson’s friend Bill Murray. Dean Otto, Curator of Film for the Speed Art Museum, will introduce Where the Buffalo Roam.
The 2017 GonzoFest Louisville celebration is from noon until 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. The festival will take place both on the exterior grounds of the Main branch and inside the library. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to make a $10 donation when entering the festival. A portion of the proceeds will benefit LFPL.
Learn more at GonzoFestLou.com.
Save the date and ready your appetite: after three successful years, LOUDER THAN LIFE returns to Champions Park in Louisville.
On Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, 2017, the rock and metal mega festival returns for its 4th year of rock ‘n’ roll, Gourmet Man Food, local craft beer, onsite experiences, and the mind-blowing Bourbon World.
Last year’s line-up featured huge world-wide acts including Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Slayer, Slipknot, Disturbed, Anthrax, Clutch, The Cult, and many, many more.
More details will be announced in May with details about the musical lineup, vendors, experiences, and ticket information.
Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, America’s premier production company for rock music festivals, Louisville’s LOUDER THAN LIFE features a selection of award-winning bourbons, whiskey, spirits, craft beer, and Gourmet Man Food curated personally by festival creator Danny Wimmer, along with a powerful music lineup of rock legends and breaking talent.
The LOUDER THAN LIFE festival celebrates the bourbon culture and culinary heritage of this unique American city, and you won’t want to miss out on experiencing it for yourself.
In 2016, LOUDER THAN LIFE topped 50,000 in attendance for the second year in a row, with Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold headlining together for the first time ever.
For more information, be sure to visit louderthanlifefestival.com.
Warner Bros.
Just when you thought that the “clown sightings” that made headlines late 2016 were over, another creepy clown is being spotted: Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Stephen King’s 1980s horror classic “It” will be hitting theaters later this year starring Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant, TV’s Hemlock Grove) as Pennywise.
Based on the best-selling 1986 horror novel of the same name, the story follows seven children frome Derry, Maine, as they are terrorized by the evil clown who exploits his victims’ fears and phobias of its victims.
“It” was made into a two-part miniseries that was broadcast on ABC in 1990 topped 19 million viewing households.
The 2017 re-imagining of the story, directed by Andrés Muschietti and based on a screenplay adapted by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman, was initially announced in 2009. The movie will be in theaters September 8.
Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), Sophia Lillis (37), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chosen Jacobs (Cops and Robbers), Jack Dylan Grazer (Tales of Halloween) and Nicholas Hamilton (Captain Fantastic) comprise the ensemble cast who deal with Pennywise’s terror.
Watch the official trailer below: Continue reading
Abbey Road on the River (AROTR), the annual music festival honoring the music and legend of The Beatles, is just around the corner and area residents now have the opportunity to pick up tickets at all 45 Kentuckiana area Thorntons locations.
With roots dating back to 2002 in Cleveland, the 5-day music festival takes place over Memorial Day weekend along the Jeffersonville waterfront with venues including Big 4 Station Park, Clarion Hotel, and 300 Spring. Attracting over 30,000 attendees, Abbey Road on the River is billed as the largest Beatles festival in the country.
Since the move from Ohio, Abbey Road on the River has expanded greatly, averaging more than 60 bands annually. The 2017 lineup includes legendary greats such as Herman’s Hermits, The Family Stone, Paul Revere & the Raiders former lead singer Mark Lindsay, Wings drummer Steve Holley, The Grass Roots, Ambrosia, and many more. The star-studded lineup is backed by a full bill of original acts and tribute bands who carry on the musical traditions of 60’s, 70’s, and beyond.
And it’s all kicked off with a free concert starring starring Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Thursday, May 25.
General Admission Tickets are available now for $20 at all 45 Kentuckiana Thorntons Stores, which includes free 21 and under admission. Tickets are also available online.