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SubscribeHometown Rising Wraps Up First of Three Fall Music Festivals in Trifesta Series
Day One of the inaugural Hometown Rising Country Music & Bourbon Festival is in the books with big crowds turning out at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center.
Fans were treated to country music staples including Pikeville native Dwight Yoakam, Trace Adkins, and Tim McGraw; established acts like Little Big Town, Frankie Ballard, and Jimmie Allen; and rising stars including Lindsay Ell, IMAJ, The Cadillac Three, and Taylorsville native J.D. Shelburne.
In addition to the three main stages full of talent, the festival also features dozens of festival merchandise vendors, a wide variety of bourbon labels to try, great food offerings from standard festival fare to gourmet offerings as well as dance lessons and performances.
The two-day party continues this afternoon for the final day featuring headliners Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Brett Young, and Jake Owen; as well as Poison frontman Bret Michaels and Lo Cash on the main Barrel and Oak stages. All three stages, including the Boots & Bourbon stage will be rocking all afternoon until 6PM, when the action moves to the main stages.
Dance lessons, including line dancing, east coast swing, and two-stepping, as well as barn dance mixers, bourbon history lessons also continue throughout the festival grounds.
The three weekend long Trifesta series continues next weekend with the three-day Bourbon & Beyond blend of bourbon, food and music – featuring headlines such as the Foo Fighters, John Fogerty, Robert Plant, Hall & Oates, Zac Brown Band, and ZZ Top.
The series wraps up September 27-29 as Louder Than Life returns to Louisville, bringing with it such heavy metal titans as Slipknot, Godsmack, Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Guns N’ Roses. The colossal lineup also features Ice Cube, Dropkick Murphys, Stone Temple Pilots, Gwar, Crystal Method, and many more feature acts. Continue reading
The line-up for Louder than Life has been set and will feature such acts as Slipknot, Motionless In White, GWAR, Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack, Dropkick Murphys, Rob Zombie, and many many more.
The three day event starts Friday, September 27 with the doors opening at 11 AM. With the event at the Kentucky Exposition Center this year, parking should be easier to find and rain won’t force the event to cancel.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at https://louderthanlifefestival.com/tickets/. Attendees that are interested in attending all three of the festivals at the Exposition Center this year will be sad to hear that the Trifecta Pass is sold out.
If you have not had the pleasure of attending Louder Than Life in the past, here is an idea of what you can expect.
The World’s Largest Bourbon Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, will make its anticipated return to Louisville, KY Friday, September 20, Saturday, September 21, and Sunday, September 22, expanding to three days full of incredible music, unique culinary events, and unmatched experiences from the region’s best distilleries at the new Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center. In addition to an unforgettable lineup of bourbon and chefs, music performers include a unique mix of rock, roots, bluegrass and folk acts headlined by Foo Fighters, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters (returning after originally being scheduled to appear in 2018) and the Zac Brown Band. Additional acts include John Fogerty, Daryl Hall & John Oates, ZZ Top (celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2019), Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Trey Anastasio Band, Leon Bridges, The Flaming Lips, Alison Krauss, Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes, +LIVE+, Grace Potter, Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, among many others. In total, more than 45 artists will play on three stages, including the side-by-side Oak and Barrel main stages and a bluegrass stage that will be curated by the genre’s leading authority, The Bluegrass Situation.
Held during Bourbon Heritage Month, Bourbon & Beyond also celebrates the craftsmanship behind award-winning spirits, master distillers and world-class chefs. Bourbon author, Amazon Prime host (Bourbon Up) and expert Fred Minnick has curated one-of-a-kind tastings and seminars celebrating Louisville’s world-renowned distilleries, while culinary curators Edward Lee (The Mind of A Chef) and Anthony Lamas (Seviche) will team up to arrange special food experiences that will be announced soon.
“If you could capture America in a bottle, it would be a bottle of bourbon. It’s a uniquely American creation, like jazz and baseball, and its beating heart is in Louisville,” says Bourbon & Beyond producer Danny Wimmer. “This connection to the past has transformed Louisville into a city of the future. One of the most vibrant and diverse food scenes in the country has grown around bourbon’s resurgence, and we tried to mirror that spirit with the great music lineup that we put together. I can’t wait for people to visit this city in September and experience something that goes far beyond their preconception of what Louisville is.”
Bourbon & Beyond exclusive VIP packages, General Admission tickets, camping and hotel packages, as well as special event tickets, go on sale Friday, March 15 at 12:00 PM EDT. Visit www.BourbonandBeyond.com for more details.
Produced by premier independent festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents, the third annual Bourbon & Beyond will be held at a new festival location, the Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center. All of DWP’s Louisville festivals will take place at the new venue, including the firstever Hometown Rising Country Music & Bourbon Festival (Sept. 14-15) and Louder Than Life (Sept. 27-29). Fans interested in attending all three weekends can purchase a special Trifesta Pass, which allows General Admission weekend access for the discounted rate of only $229.00 plus fees.
The initial list of participating chefs at Bourbon & Beyond includes:
- Edward Lee (The Mind of A Chef, 610 Magnolia, MilkWood, Whiskey Dry)
- Graham Elliot (Family Food Fight, Top Chef)
- The Voltaggio Brothers (Michael – Ink, Top Chef & Bryan – VOLT)
- Tiffani Thiessen (“Dinner At Tiffani’s”)
- Jamie Bissonnette (Coppa, Toro, Little Donkey)
- Amanda Freitag (The Chef Next Door: A Pro Chef’s Recipes for Fun, Fearless Home Cooking, Chopped)
- Anthony Lamas (Chef/Owner at Seviche)
- Brooke Williamson (Top Chef, Knife Fight, House of Food) • Jose Salazar (Salazar, Mita’s, Goose and Elder)
- Ouita Michel (Holly Hill Inn)
- Adam Sobel (Cal Mare)
- Jonathan Searle (Lockbox)
- Matt Abdoo (Pig Beach)
- Rusty Hamlin (Papi’s Taqueria, Zac Brown’s Social Club, Atkins Park Restaurant)
- Sara Bradley (Freight House)
- Kelsey Barnard Clark (KBC)
- Justin Sutherland (Iron Chef America, Handsome Hog, Pearl and the Thief)
The festival’s centerpiece, Kroger’s Big Bourbon Bar presented by Louisville Courier Journal, will feature more than two dozen hand-selected bourbons from top distilleries, and a unique opportunity to enjoy bourbons and exclusive one-time specialty cocktails from 1792, Angel’s Envy, Barrell Bourbon, Bloody Butcher’s Creed, Buffalo Trace, Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Kentucky Peerless, Michter’s, Old Forester, StoneHammer, Wild Turkey and more to be announced.
As part of this innovative partnership and Kroger’s commitment to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste, 25 cents will be donated directly to Dare to Care Food Bank (www.daretocare.org) from every ticket sold. Dare to Care Food Bank works to ensure that no one in our community lacks enough food to live an active, healthy lifestyle, and Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative is their bold plan to end hunger in our communities and eliminate waste in their company by 2025.
Fred Minnick’s Mini Bar presented by the Bourbon Women Association will showcase craft selections from Wilderness Trail, MB Roland and Bluegrass Distillery. Acclaimed Louisville whiskey bar The Silver Dollar will operate The Hunter’s Club, where attendees can find vintage bourbons dating as far back as the 1930s, as well as contemporary collectibles.
The initial list of participating bourbon brands at Bourbon & Beyond includes 1792, Angel’s Envy, Bardstown Bourbon, Barrell Bourbon, Blanton’s, Bloody Butcher’s Creed, Bluegrass Distillery, Boone County Distilling, Buffalo Trace, Coopers’ Craft, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Kentucky Peerless, Knob Creek, Larceny, Maker’s Mark, MB Roland, Michter’s, Old Forester, Wild Turkey, Wilderness Trail, W.L. Weller and Woodford Reserve.
Ticket prices for Bourbon & Beyond will be as follows:
- 3-Day Weekend General Admission: starting at $169.50 + fees
- 3-Day Mint Experience VIP: starting at $579.50 + fees
- 3-Day Beyond VIP: $1,599.50 + fees
- Single Day General Admission: starting at $89.50 + fees
- Single Day VIP: starting at $249.50 + fees
Mint Experience VIP tickets include access to The Mint Garden—an exclusive hang area with dedicated bars, comfortable furniture, and live audio/video streams of the Barrel and Oak Stages, plus front-of-stage viewing of the Barrel and Oak Stages—as well as a dedicated merchandise stand, premium, dedicated food offerings, air-conditioned, flushable restrooms, dedicated entrance lanes into the festival and a commemorative laminate and wristband.
Beyond VIP tickets include access to all Mint Experience VIP amenities PLUS a shaded viewing deck, air-conditioned lounge/tent with live audio/video streams of the Barrel and Oak Stages, allinclusive premium drinks at 2 private bars within the hang area, complimentary hors d’oeuvres during set lunch and dinner hours, dedicated air-conditioned, flushable bathrooms, massage station, complimentary lockers with cell-phone chargers, complimentary Wi-Fi access, Beyond VIP Concierge staff and a commemorative Beyond VIP laminate and wristband.
Bourbon & Beyond sponsors include Kentucky Department of Tourism, Louisville Tourism, Kroger, Lagunitas, Red Bull, Zyn, Fxck Cancer, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Angry Orchard, Bourbon Women Association, Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA), Glencairn Crystal, and Eagle Nest Outfitters.
The Highland Festival Grounds At KY Expo Center are located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Festival doors open at 11:00 AM daily.
The Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium at the University of Louisville is holding a moonshine cocktail contest in advance of its October fundraiser, the Moonshine Mash Bash.
Anyone 21 years or older may enter the contest, which must feature a cocktail made using Jeptha Creed Original Moonshine. Spirits from Jeptha Creed, a family-owned craft distillery in Shelbyville, will be featured at an Oct. 19 fundraiser at the planetarium that celebrates the grand opening of the new Mary Ann Russell Science Education Exhibit featuring the moon. The winning cocktail will be served at the event.
Cocktail recipes must be submitted by Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. to planet@louisville.edu. Three finalists will compete in person Oct. 8, 1 p.m., at the planetarium. The media is welcome to attend the Oct. 8 event. Continue reading
Music Industry Veteran Danny Wimmer knows a little about producing music festivals, and he should… he has been at it since 1993 with big name events like Rock on the Range, the Aftershock Festival, Carolina Rebellion, Rock Allegiance, and others.
Evidence of his expertise can be seen with the huge crowds that he’s drawn to Louisville over the past half-decade with music festivals that may sound a little more familiar. Last year alone, Danny Wimmer Presents Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life Festivals drew a combined 110,000 fans to Champions Park for four amazing days of music, food, and great times.
Later this month, both festivals return with back-to-back weekends jam packed with dozens of favorites and new acts ready to expose attendees to the upcoming crop of artists in their respective genres. Continue reading
Bourbon & Beyond, Louder Than Life Brings National Acts to Louisville’s Champions Park
Danny Wimmer Presents has announced the 2018 dates for its nationally acclaimed festivals held at Champions Park in Louisville, KY.
The 2nd annual Bourbon & Beyond is set for Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23, 2018. The 5th annual Louder Than Life will be held the following weekend on Saturday, September 29 and Sunday, September 30, 2018.
To celebrate the success of Bourbon & Beyond’s inaugural year, Danny Wimmer Presents has announced a special Early Bird ticket sale now underway for Bourbon & Beyond 2018. A limited number of General Admission Weekend passes are available for $119.50 (matching 2017’s lowest price). Tickets can be purchased online here. Hotel and camping options are also available at www.BourbonAndBeyond.com.
Held on back-to-back weekends, the first-ever Bourbon & Beyond (September 23 & 24) and the fourth annual Louder Than Life (September 30 & October 1) drew a combined 110,000 fans to Champions Park over two consecutive weekends in 2017, with a large percentage of attendees coming from outside of Louisville. Continue reading
Starbucks unveiled their 2017 holiday cups yesterday and fans of the annually-changing designs may have noticed something missing: color!
Since 1997, the Seattle based coffee giant has welcomed the holiday season with a cheerfully themed red cup. Now, after 20 years, this season’s cup has arrived nearly colorless.
The 2017 Starbucks holiday cup still features a seasonally themed illustration complete with a Christmas tree, a stack of gifts, clasped hands, hearts, stars, peace doves, ornaments, snowflakes, hot cocoa, and more. The design has some basic colors, a few red parts and the company’s signature green on their logo, but a Starbucks representative said that the line-art cup was intended to allow people to add their own color to their cup.
Perhaps meant to capitalize on the recent adult coloring craze, or to spark creativity among their caffeinated customers, or maybe just to save money on ink, the design captures the spirit of the holiday season while, hopefully, avoiding some of the controversy that the chain has endured on social media in previous years for swinging too far into the politically correct camp with their cups.
Two years ago, the company faced backlash after trying to avoid the “Happy Holidays” vs “Merry Christmas” type of holiday havoc by releasing plain red cups to mark the season. Last year, they went the opposite direction by releasing more than a dozen holiday themed designs inspired by customer creations.
Along with the DIY artwork cup this season comes the “Give Good” sleeve to protect hands from the hot contents. This slogan encompases the theme for this year’s holiday campaign, which Starbucks executive creative director, Leanne Fremar, says “as small as someone opening the door for you, or recognizing the people that enrich your life – your child’s teacher, a caregiver, a family friend.” Fremar continued, “the holidays are a time to celebrate all the good we give to each other and our community.”
The Give Good campaign site reads
Hold the door for someone,
connect over coffee,
say “hi” to a stranger,
give perfect gifts
to the ones you love.
And once good starts,
it keeps going and growing
from one person to the next –
simple acts of kindness
that touch the lives of many.
Because good is contagious,
and giving is too.