By Lilly Mattingly
Move over Buzz Lightyear, the only thing accompanying the beyond isn’t infinity. It’s also bourbon, and a whole lot of live music.
The first Bourbon & Beyond, the self-proclaimed “largest music, food, and bourbon festival” occurred in 2017 with an attendance of 50,000 over a 2-day span. Now in 2024 the festival has added two days and about 160,000 extra audience members, according to a spokesperson for the event talking about its recent success.
Fans spilled into the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Thursday, September 19 and some were alarmed by the amount of attendees.
“I’ve been coming to this festival for the last few years,” said Emily Roberts, a visitor from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. “I’ve always loved it because the bands are consistently great and it’s easy to get around. It’s different this year, I can hardly move without running into someone or banging shoulders.”
The number of 210,000 attendees in 2024 nearly doubles the 120,000 attendees that attended the year prior in 2023, and that is not the only number that increased this year. 2023 had around 70 musical artists; in 2024, there are over 100. In 2023, the festival had three music stages, and 2024 added two for a total of five music stages.
There were 60,000 attendees alone on Saturday with country superstar Zach Bryan headlining. These numbers keep increasing year after year, but the setting remains the same.
“My first Bourbon and Beyond was the first year in 2017 when it was at Champions Park,” said Gabby Vincent, a Louisville native. “That space was perfect for the smallish crowd it had. Even the last few years at the Expo Center haven’t been terrible. I can’t see it continuing being here if it keeps growing. The festival is outgrowing this venue.”
Music lovers will have to wait and see if the Highland Festival grounds will be considered Bourbon & Beyond’s Old Kentucky Home by next year.
