Bourbon & Beyond, the World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival, is returning to Louisville, Kentucky, for its 7th year, and producers Danny Wimmer Presents have announced an exciting roster of culinary and spirits talent who will curate elevated food-and-beverage pairings on-site alongside the stacked music lineup slated for 2025. The event takes place September 11-14 at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville and will include multi-sensory opportunities and programming showcasing the country’s best chefs and rich bourbon culture. The four-day destination event has expanded to five music stages and more than 120 music artists, plus the festival’s culinary and bourbon experiences, following Bourbon & Beyond’s record-breaking year in 2024 and its win as Pollstar’s Global Festival of the Year 2025.
Leading the Fork & Flask curated by Kroger Stage culinary demonstrations at Bourbon & Beyond are hosts Chef Chris Santos (Chopped) and Chef Edward Lee (The Mind of a Chef). They will be joined by acclaimed chefs including Chef Claudette Zepeda (Top Chef Season 15; founder of Chispa Hospitality), Chef Esther Choi (Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped), local Louisville chef Anthony Lamas (Seviche: A Latin Restaurant; Bar Rescue), and Chef Lawrence Weeks (North of Bourbon).
The Fork & Flask curated by Kroger Stage will also feature bourbon expert Chris Blandford and Chef Amanda Freitag (Top Chef and Chopped) and showcase premium brands including Old Rip Van Winkle, Angel’s Envy, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Buffalo Trace, and more. This year’s programming will spotlight Kentucky Proud products, celebrating locally sourced ingredients and the farmers and producers who help make Kentucky a world-class culinary destination.
Programming highlights throughout the weekend include a taping of The Firkin Podcast with Redferrin and “Family Cookin’” with Terry Bradshaw and his son-in-law Chef Noah Hester, who have just announced their family cookbook. New panels such as “New School of American Whiskey” and “Buzzed About Bourbon” will bring together the voices that shape how we discover, discuss, and drink bourbon—from podcasts and social media to behind-the-scenes branding.
Join actress Elizabeth Banks (Archer Roose Wines) for Unscripted & Uncorked, a refreshingly unfiltered Q&A on how music, movies, and a good drink can bring people together. Beloved comedian and Fathertime founder Jim Gaffigan returns to Bourbon & Beyond for another round of laughs, stories, and bourbon-fueled insights. World-renowned bourbon expert Fred Minnick is back with his Blind Bourbon LIVE workshop, along with many more opportunities for fans to get up close and personal with bourbon experts.
Other special guests participating in the culinary and bourbon programming include 49 Winchester, Trombone Shorty, Kelly Hansen, Redferrin, Salt Hank, Katie Crutchfield, and more.
Attendees at Bourbon & Beyond can also enjoy a variety of onsite food and beverage offerings inspired by Kentucky’s explosion in the culinary world. Selections from local and regional restaurants are specially curated by Southern Hospitality Concessions LLC.
“Bourbon & Beyond is where the heart of music meets the soul of bourbon country and is hands down one of the most exhilarating festivals in the nation. I’m excited to crank up the heat on the stage, with chefs rocking out their best dishes alongside some of your favorite performers. We’re crafting a lineup of chefs that celebrate bourbon in the most delicious and daring way possible—where every sip feels like a high-five and every bite is a thrilling encore,” said Chris Santos, celebrity chef and judge on Food Network’s Chopped.
In addition to the culinary and bourbon experiences, Bourbon & Beyond offers incredible headlining music talent with something for everyone: The Lumineers, Benson Boone, and Alabama Shakes (reunion) on Thursday; Phish (playing two sets—their only festival appearance of 2025 and first Louisville show in three decades), Khruangbin, and Joe Bonamassa on Friday; Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson, Jack White, and Vance Joy on Saturday; and Noah Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls, and Megan Moroney on Sunday. Additional must-see sets during the four-day event include Cage The Elephant, TV On The Radio, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lake Street Dive, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Foreigner (in one of the final announced dates of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2024 inductees’ Farewell Tour), Third Eye Blind, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, and many more.
The initial lineup of culinary talent and spirits panelists at Bourbon & Beyond includes (subject to change):
The Fork & Flask curated by Kroger Stage — Celebrity Chefs & Artist Pairings, hosted by Chris Santos & Edward Lee; Bourbon Experts & Celebrity Guests hosted by Amanda Freitag & Chris Blandford
Amanda Freitag
Barb Parish (Brown-Forman)
Brandon O’Daniel (Copper & Kings, Nelson’s Green Brier)
Brandon Smith (Bardstown Bourbon Co.)
Brent Elliott (Four Roses Distillery)
Bri Hlava (mixologist)
Brian Probus (Firkin Podcast)
Brooklyn Lytle (mixologist)
Bruce Russell (Wild Turkey)
Carrie Van Winkle (Pappy & Co.)
Chaz Fister (Maker’s Mark)
Chef Anthony Lamas
Chef Brian Landry
Chef Edward Lee
Chef Esther Choi
Chef Noah Hester (Bradshaw Bourbon; The Bradshaw Family Cookbook)
Chef Jackie Joseph
Chef Lawrence Weeks (North of Bourbon)
Chris Blandford (Kroger Wine & Spirits)
Chris Santos
Christian Huber (Starlight Distiller)
Claudette Zepeda
Dan Calloway (Bardstown Bourbon Co.)
Dr. Blake Layfield (Maker’s Mark)
Elizabeth Banks (actress, Archer Roose Wines)
Elizabeth McCall (Woodford Reserve)
Fred Minnick (bourbon expert)
Fred Booker Noe III (James B. Beam)
Freddie Noe (James B. Beam)
Greg Keely (Larrikin Bourbon)
Harlen Wheatley (Buffalo Trace)
Ian Sulkowski (Brown-Forman)
Jason Brauner (Watch Hill Proper)
Jim Gaffigan (Fathertime Bourbon)
John Waddell (Peerless Distilling Co.)
Kathryn Crutchfield
Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee)
Kelly Hansen (Foreigner)
Kenny Coleman (Pursuit Spirits)
Kyle Wallace (mixologist)
Lili Lambert (mixologist)
Melissa Rift (Old Forester)
Neil Alvarado (mixologist)
Neil Giraldo (artist, Three Chord Bourbon)
Owen Martin (Angel’s Envy)
Preston Van Winkle (Old Rip Van Winkle)
Redferrin (artist)
Ryan Cecil (Bourbon Pursuit)
Salt Hank (Henry Laporte)
Shaylyn Gammon (Blue Run Spirits)
Terry Bradshaw (football legend; Bradshaw Bourbon; The Bradshaw Family Cookbook)
Trey Zoeller (Jefferson’s Bourbon)
Trombone Shorty (artist)
Tyler Zoller (Louisville Bourbon Buzz)
Wes Henderson (True Story Whiskey)
49 Winchester (band)
Workshops will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily during the festival, and full details on demonstrations and tastings, along with a complete schedule, will be announced soon.
Another highlight of Bourbon & Beyond is the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar. Featuring the best bluegrass bands, line dancing, and expertly curated picks of Kentucky’s finest, it brings the bourbon trail right to Bourbon & Beyond. Bourbon lovers can also visit Chris Picks MiniBar for select single barrels curated especially for the festival; The Hunter’s Club for rare and vintage pours; and the Jack Daniel’s Sports Bar and Char House, the perfect oasis to complete the festival experience. Visit BourbonAndBeyond.com for a full description of festival experiences.
Having welcomed more than 210,000 fans in 2024, Bourbon & Beyond has become the premier destination event of the fall, combining incredible nonstop music with the best food and spirits Kentucky has to offer—with Forbes exclaiming, “Featuring some of America’s best chefs, the Louisville festival’s celebration of the culinary arts, spirits, live music and more makes it one of America’s most unique festival offerings.”
New for 2025:
Friday headliner Phish will play two sets, with Phish Phriday hotel packages at the Galt House available through Jampack.
Music artist Chance Peña has been added to Thursday’s lineup.
New RV camping is available at the University of Louisville.
A Bourbon & Beyond Student Offer is accessible with a .edu email address through FEVO.
Festival-grounds updates:
Expanded MINT VIP: three-story elevated structure with more space, shade, seating, restrooms, and bars
Dedicated towel-and-chair zones
Added picnic seating in GA
Improved stage layout to reduce sound bleed
New rideshare pickup for easier arrival and departure
Join us at The Fox Den in Louisville for the semifinals of the Battle of the Strings on June 14 and the finals on June 21, where unsigned bluegrass bands can compete for a chance to perform onstage at Bourbon & Beyond.
Fans can still join the fun at the World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival by securing passes at BourbonAndBeyond.com or via Shop Pay at dwpbourbon.com, which allows for a buy-now, pay-later installment plan. Four-day and single-day GA and Mint VIP, as well as four-day Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP passes, are still available. Hotel packages are also offered through Jampack.
Bourbon & Beyond 2025 gratefully acknowledges the support of its hospitality, government, and stage-programming partners: Crowne Plaza, Galt House Hotel, Kentucky Proud, Kentucky Venues, Kroger, Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville Metro, Louisville Tourism, Team Kentucky, Traeger, and YETI Coolers.
Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center is located at 937 Phillips Lane in Louisville, Kentucky. Bourbon & Beyond is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America.
Award-winning festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) recently announced a long-term agreement with Kentucky Venues to host both Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life at the Highland Festival Grounds. The 10-year commitment, running from 2026-2035, underscores DWP’s and the city’s dedication to Louisville’s cultural and economic future. In 2024, the two festivals generated more than $33 million in total economic impact, according to Louisville Tourism.
Website: BourbonAndBeyond.com
Facebook: @bourbonandbeyond
Instagram: @bourbonandbeyond
Hashtag: #BourbonAndBeyond
