Bourbon & Beyond 2023 Welcomed 120k Music, Food and Bourbon Fans to its Annual Festival; Announces 2024 Dates [Photo Gallery]

You’ve come a long way baby. What started as almost an experimental festival in 2017 has become a premier music, food, and bourbon event. In its first year Bourbon & Beyond welcomed 50k bourbon fans over two days in Louisville, Kentucky. Over the years, Bourbon & Beyond found a new home at Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center and has expanded to a four-day festival. Fans can purchase a single day or a complete package with all four days as well as several VIP options.

In 2023 the world’s largest bourbon and music festival welcomed more than 120,000 fans of all thing’s music, food, and bourbon culture full of nonstop entertainment. This year’s event included some of the best and brightest music stars in Americana, roots, blues, country, and rock n roll, as well as a range of culinary programming from some of the country’s top chefs and a wide palette of bourbon tastings and workshops celebrating the rich culture of Louisville.

Highlights of the event included memorable music performances included a day one finale from Brandi Carlile featuring special guest Billy Strings who helped on covers of Wings’ “Live and Let Die” and Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Earlier in the day, Billy Strings also crashed the Bluegrass Situation Stage where he joined fiddle player Michael Cleveland for a few numbers. The weekend also included hit-packed headlining sets from The Killers and The Black Keys as well as Bruno Mars where Louisville native Jack Harlow was seen taking in the performance.

Other attention-grabbing sets included a rousing performance from recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Duran Duran as well as new wave/punk legends Blondie, Wayne Newton who played his first rock festival ever and Old Crow Medicine Show who paid tribute to the late Jimmy Bufffett with a cover of “Margaritaville.” The festival also marked the first time that husband-and-wife couple The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and singer-songwriter Michelle Branch played the same event together.

In addition to music, stars headed to the Monogram Culinary Stage and Kentucky Venues Bourbon Stage to participate in the one-of-a-kind programming throughout the weekend. That included Darnell “SuperChef” Ferguson (Louisville native, Food Network’s Superchef Grudge Match), Sara Bradley (Top Chef contestant), special guest Joe Kwon of Avett Brothers joining at the Monogram Culinary Stage, which was hosted by Chef Chris Santos (Chopped), Chef Edward Lee (The Mind of a Chef) and Chef Amanda Freitag (Top Chef, Chopped).

Over at the Kentucky Venues Bourbon Stage, bourbon expert Chris Blandford was joined by the world’s leading bourbon authority Fred Minnick, as well as Chef Amanda Freitag, actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley (behind Brother’s Bond Bourbon), actor Graham McTavish (Outlander, Men in Kilts), singer Wayne Newton, and country music artist Hailey Whitters. In addition, the Bourbon & Basketball panel featured former University of Louisville Championship basketball stars Robbie Valentine, Chris West, Wiley Brown, and Scooter McCray discussing why they love bourbon.

Scroll down for our extensive photo gallery featuring images from all four days.