Louisville Events & Entertainment
Abbey Road on the River Returns Memorial Day Weekend – May 22-26
Music fans, get your Ticket to Ride as Abbey Road on the River, the world’s largest Beatles-inspired music festival, returns Memorial Day weekend – May 22-26, 2025 – at the beautiful Big Four Station Park in Jeffersonville, IN.
Attendees from all generations will Come Together to celebrate timeless music of The Beatles and other classic rock legends in a family-friendly atmosphere filled with good vibes.
The 2025 festival lineup features fan favorites like The Love Concert, Classicstone from Colombia, The Jukebox Beatles from Puerto Rico, The LSB Experience from Holland, and a very special guest, Pete Best, the original drummer of The Beatles!
Louisville Orchestra Announces 2025-2026 Creators Corps Composers
The Louisville Orchestra proudly welcomes composers Anthony Green and Chelsea Komschlies as the newest members of the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps (LOCC) for the 2025-2026 season.
Now in its fourth year, this innovative program continues to reshape the relationship between orchestras and composers, fostering deep artistic engagement with the Louisville community.
“We are thrilled to welcome Anthony and Chelsea to the Louisville Orchestra and to our city,” said Music Director Teddy Abrams. “This program is about more than creating new music—it’s about forging meaningful connections between composers, performers, and our community. Both Anthony and Chelsea bring powerful artistic voices, and we are excited to see the projects and music they will develop during their residency.”
Meet the 2025-2026 Creators Corps Composers
Legendary Country Singer Vince Gill to Play Whitney Hall July 26
One of the most popular artists in modern country music, Vince Gill, will bring his famous voice and guitar playing to Whitney Hall at The Kentucky Center on July 26. Famous for his top-notch songwriting, world-class guitar playing and warm, soaring tenor, all wrapped up in a quick and easy wit, he is sure deliver a great evening of his classic hit songs.
Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won both the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single and Song of the Year awards as well as a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards, and 8 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival Returns With Sturgill Simpson, Phish, The Lumineers and More
Bourbon & Beyond recently announced the line-up for their annual music and bourbon festival that will be held September 11,12,13 and 14 at Highlands Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The weekend of music and experiences is a great blend of world-class music, top-tier bourbon, and gourmet food for what is known as “The World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival,” and caters to tens thousands of fans each year.
The festival’s lineup features an eclectic mix of rock, blues, folk, and country, with top headliners including Sturgill Simpson, Phish, Noah Kahn, The Lumineers and more.
Railbird Music Festival (Lexington) Returns With a Great Line-up – May 31 – June 1
(LEXINGTON, KY) – The popular Railbird Music Festival at the Red Mile Race Course in Lexington has announced another great line-up for what will be a great weekend of music. Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson will headline the two nights that includes over 30 artists across three stages including The Red Clay Strays, Ryan Bingham. Gavin Adcock, Cody Jinks, Shaboozey, Luke Grimes, Blackberry Smoke and more. The grounds of the historic horse racing track will also feature curated bourbon experiences, celebrating the spirit of Kentucky.
Actors Theatre of Louisville Bids Farewell to Executive Artistic Director Robert Barry Fleming
Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL) announced the departure of Executive Artistic Director Robert Barry Fleming, who has led the organization with vision, passion, and innovation since June, 2019. Fleming will be moving on to pursue other creative and artistic opportunities. During his tenure, Fleming has solidified ATL’s reputation as a hub for bold, inclusive, and groundbreaking theatre.
“It has been the privilege, honor, and daily joy of my lifetime to work and learn with and from this extraordinary Actors team. Though the challenges of stewarding a regional theater through a global pandemic and the detrimental comprehensive impact it has had on our industry has been formidable for everyone in our field who care about and are dedicated to the American theatre, I’m nothing less than ‘beyond-my-wildest dreams’ grateful for the wonderful partnerships that have emerged and the sense of community and connecting across difference that has manifested from our collective efforts,” offered Fleming.
Grateville Dead Music Festival Returns October 18-20 to Waterfront Park
Louisville’s tribute to Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead Dead returns to Louisville for a weekend of great music, local vendors, food, drinks and family fun.
Now in its 10th year, the GrateVille Dead Music Festival will return to the Brown-Forman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park October 18, 19 and 20. The three-day music festival serves as Louisville’s celebration of Jerry Garcia and The Grateful Dead and is chalked full of local and regional Grateful Dead tribute bands celebrating the band’s music. Headlining this year’s lineup is Kentucky Grateful Dead Tribute Band, Born Cross-Eyed, along with Pink Talking Fish and award-winning bluegrass group, Mama Said String Band.
Festival Fever: Bourbon & Beyond Ready to Roll with All-Star Line-up
With the return of the regions largest music festival September 19 – 22, 2024, Bourbon & Beyond is ready to host over a hundred thousand fans to four days of amazing music across four stages as well as other entertainment and culinary experiences.
From the moment the line-up announcement came out for this year’s festival, fans have been on the edge of their seats for the final line-up and set times. Well, the wait is over, and the line-up is stellar as advertised. Featuring music industry icons such as Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Dave Matthews Band, Sting and more, tickets are few and far between and it seems that we are on the forefront of what will be another amazing weekend!
Fund for the Arts: Cultural Pass Kick-off
The 2024 Cultural Pass and Summer Reading offer “passport to creativity” for Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana young people
School’s out and the 2024 Cultural Pass and library summer reading programs are here to prevent summer learning loss, provide fun and free arts and culture experiences, and inspire young people ages 0-21 to take full advantage of their passport to creativity! Cultural Pass programs are available in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham counties in Kentucky and Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties in Indiana.
Event Spotlight: St. Matthews Summer Fest Set for June 22
The streets of St. Matthews will come alive at this highly anticipated street fest – St. Matthews Summer Fest 2024 on June 22, 2024, from 12pm to 10pm. The event will take place along Frankfort Ave between Lexington Rd and Bauer Ave, as well as in Gerstle’s parking lot.
This year’s St. Matthews Summer Fest promises to be a big day of fun featuring an array of attractions for the whole family to enjoy. With free admission and open to the public, attendees can expect a day filled with family fun, delicious food, captivating live music, and the opportunity to support local artisans and businesses.
Performance Preview: Broadway in Louisville – Beetlejuice – May 14 – 19, 2024 – Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center
Grief, Growth, and Ghosts: Jesse Sharp on Bringing Depth to Charles Deetz in Beetlejuice’s Louisville Run
Get ready, Louisville! It’s time to say “Beetlejuice” three times and unleash a whirlwind of laughter, heart, and ghostly shenanigans at the Kentucky Center from May 14-19, 2024.
Rock the Country 2-Day Music Festival Invades Ashland, Kentucky April 19 & 20
(Ashland, Kentucky) Rock The Country is making its second stop in Ashland, Kentucky, April 19 and 20 at Boyd County Fairgrounds. Artists featured at Rock The Country will include Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Travis Tritt, Miranda Lambert, and Brantley Gilbert many more kicking off this summer’s most anticipated festival. The picturesque Boyd County Fairgrounds is the perfect venue, providing attendees with an unforgettable experience filled with camping under the stars, indulging in sensational music, and weaving cherished memories with friends and family.
Audience Spotlight: Wild Lights Lantern Festival – Louisville Zoo – March 23 – May 19, 2024
The Louisville Zoo is excited to re-create the magic of their popular lantern festival again this year promising to be bigger and brighter than ever! If you haven’t been to an “illumination” event, this is your chance to check out one of the best around.
Dive deep and celebrate the vibrant colors of the coral reefs, see nature come to life on the 1.4 mile journey of interactive moving displays and explore ancient Chinese myths and legends, including magnificent dragons and a breathtaking phoenix tunnel. The festival includes all-new illuminated archways and larger-than-life displays allowing you to become part of the magic.
The wonder of Wild Lights is sure to create glowing smiles and bright memories for all.
Audience Event Outlook: Shakespeare in Love Gala & 2024 Season Announcement
The team at Kentucky Shakespeare is gearing up for a big night of fun for their annual Shakespeare in Love Gala that will surely be an evening you won’t want to miss. The gala will be held at 21c Museum and Hotel on Saturday, February 10th and will be the ninth gala Kentucky Shakespeare has hosted.
“We are excited for the gala as it serves as a fundraiser as well as a party!” Commented producing artistic director, Matt Wallace. “We will also announce our 2024 Shakespeare Festival in Central Park lineup, spend time with our amazing staff and raffle various gift baskets and have some great silent auction items including a Chef’s Table dinner experience for eight with Chef Todd Alexander and a Churchill Downs Finish Line Suite. There will be opportunities to donate to Kentucky Shakespeare at the event and people can also always support with tax-deductible donations online at kyshakespeare.com/donate and at Venmo @KYShakes. Funds raised go to support our many programs from free Shakespeare in the Parks to education tours and community outreach!”
Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and more to Headline Bourbon & Beyond – Sept. 19-22
Coming off the heels of a hugely successful 2024 festival headlined by the biggest names in the music industry, Bourbon & Beyond is back and ready for its biggest year ever at the Highland Festival Grounds September 19-22. The festival released another all-star line-up featuring Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, Dave Matthews Bands and more.
The weekend will be another chance to hang out with 100,000 of your closest friends and enjoy music from iconic bands and musicians while enjoying refreshing cocktails and impeccable food.
Founder and producer of the festival is Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer presents who truly loves Louisville and can’t wait for another year for the festival. “Bourbon & Beyond is our love letter to the city of Louisville and the great state of Kentucky,” says Danny Wimmer, Founder of Danny Wimmer Presents. “We can’t wait to showcase why Louisville has become our home away from home, so having the opportunity to curate an unbelievable festival experience rooted in amazing musical performances combined with our passion for bourbon and culinary arts is our dream come true.”
Tickets and information can be found at BourbonandBeyond.com
Exhibit Spotlight: The Bitter and the Sweet: Kentucky Sugar Chests, Enslavement and the Transatlantic World – 1790-1865
The Speed Art Museum is excited to open a new exhibit to ring in the New year. The Bitter and the Sweet: Kentucky Sugar Chests, Enslavement, and the Transatlantic World 1790-1865 will run through April 7th and boldly reexamines the Kentucky sugar chest and related objects within the broader, intertwined contexts of the Atlantic economy, the vicious human toll of enslavement, and the complex transportation systems that brought sugar to Kentucky from the West Indies and sugar-growing regions of the Americas.
Skilled Kentucky cabinetmakers used local materials to create these highly specialized furniture pieces to store costly refined white and brown sugar that was grown and harvested by enslaved men, women and children. Taking a closer look, visitors learn that the backstory behind these beautiful pieces isn’t as gleaming as the polished silver or glimmering walnut and cherry items the museum has on display.
11th Annual Tailspin Ale Fest Set for Saturday, March 2
Tailspin Ale Fest, the premier celebration of craft beer and community, is back for its 11th year on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the iconic Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever, with a lineup of exceptional features and activities for attendees to enjoy. The Tailspin Crew is ready to produce a “Knock Out” Experience benefiting Pints for Parkinson’s-TKO, serving people with Parkinson’s through regular exercise, a bit of boxing and community enrichment enabling them to fight against the progression of the disease while staying functionally active – giving hope for the future.
Tickets and info available at tailspinalefest.com/tickets
Ticket Giveaway – Houndmouth @ Headliners Music Hall – Friday, November 24
Spend an evening with local favorites Houndmouth at Headliners Music Hall for an evening of alternative rock and blues that you won’t want to miss.
We are giving away two tickets to the show this Friday, November 24th and they could be yours! Simply fill out the information below to be entered to win. We will announce the winner on Friday morning.
CLICK HERE for a chance to win!
Good luck!
Farm Aid Festival Retruns to Indiana Sept. 23 – Feat. Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and more
INDIANAPOLIS — Farm Aid’s Music and Food Festival is returning to Noblesville, Indiana, on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Ruoff Music Center.
Farm Aid 2023 — a full day of music, family farmers, HOMEGROWN food and agrarian experiences — will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), and Margo Price, as well as Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lukas Nelson, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident, and Particle Kid.
Festival Preview: Bourbon & Beyond – September 14-17 – Louisville, Kentucky
Who is ready for another weekend of chest pounding music from iconic bands and musicians while enjoying refreshing cocktails and impeccable food? Fold in over 100,000 of your closest festival loving friends and you know it will be a weekend to remember!
Bourbon & Beyond is tuned up and ready to return to the Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center in Louisville on September 14, 15, 16 and 17 for what will be another great weekend of celebrating the perfect blend of bourbon, food and music.
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