It’s been a long cold winter in Louisville, Kentucky. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Ohio River froze over but we have good news. The river has thawed and warmer days are ahead and so is the 2026 Bourbon & Beyond Festival.
Bourbon & Beyond is celebrating its 8th anniversary as the largest music, bourbon and culinary festival in the world. This year’s festival takes place September 24-27, 2026, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents has announced the largest lineup in the history of the event and we have the entire list.
Who Are the Headliners for Bourbon & Beyond 2026?
Bourbon & Beyond 2026 will feature 100+ artists on 5 stages. Here are this years headliners beginning on opening day Thursday through closing day on Sunday. (The complete list is below.)
| Day / Date | Bands |
|---|---|
| Thursday, September 24 | Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Goose |
| Friday, September 25 | Mumford & Sons, Kacey Musgraves, Foster the People |
| Saturday, September 26 | Chris Stapleton, The Red Clay Strays, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit |
| Sunday, September 27 | Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Counting Crows |
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“Bourbon & Beyond is built to be the best weekend of your year. Plain and simple. From the second you arrive, everything is designed so you can fully experience what a music festival should be,” says Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents. “It’s an escape with soul — a place where you can unplug from real life, let loose, be a kid again, and really live in the moment. You can ride roller coasters at Kentucky Kingdom, discover new artists and see your favorites, sip great spirits, and eat incredible food — and it all just works. At its core, it’s about creating memories. It’s a vacation inside a vacation. This lineup reflects everything Bourbon & Beyond stands for. And I say this with humility and confidence — there is nothing else quite like it in this space. It truly is the best weekend you can have at a festival of this scale.”
“Bourbon & Beyond captures the spirit of Kentucky like no other music festival,” said David S. Beck, President & CEO of Kentucky Venues. “Last year’s move to the heart of the Kentucky Exposition Center set a new standard, and together with Danny Wimmer Presents, we’re proving the Commonwealth is the premier destination for world-class events.”
Highlights for Bourbon & Beyond 2026
Some of the highlights and special appearances at Bourbon & Beyond 2026 include:
- Performance from Foo Fighters, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and 15x Grammy Award winners
- Mumford & Sons’ first show in Louisville in nearly a decade
- Performance from Kentucky native Chris Stapleton, 2026 Grammy Award winner for Best Country Solo Performance
- Dave Matthews Band celebrates 30 Years of their most popular album, Crash
- Hootie & The Blowfish performs their first show in the state of Kentucky in 20+ years
- The Return of Jackie and Judy, a Ramones tribute supergroup comprised of Sleater-Kinney and comedian/film & TV star Fred Armisen, in a select live appearance
- In addition to Chris Stapleton (Lexington/Staffordsville), other performances from “Kentucky’s Own” include Joan Osborne (Anchorage), SG Goodman (Hickman), Vickie Vaughn Band (Symsonia/Paducah), The Creekers (Leslie County/Appalachia)
In 2026, Bourbon & Beyond will roll out a revitalized Fork & Flask curated by Kroger experience, bringing fresh momentum to the festival’s spirits and culinary programming. This year’s edition will highlight bold spirit and food pairings, unexpected flavor combinations, and a dynamic mix of talent and taste that reflects the pulse of Louisville’s ever-evolving food and drink scene. Fork & Flask curated by Kroger will showcase a diverse lineup of beloved local restaurants, innovative speakeasies, and standout bars, blending iconic favorites with rising talent. Designed to be immersive and high-energy, the experience will celebrate creativity, culture, and the next generation of flavor with more details announced soon.
In addition, the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar is home to The Bluegrass Situation Stage and features the best bluegrass bands as well as line dancing.
The Complete 2026 Bourbon & Beyond Music Lineup
The complete music lineup for Bourbon & Beyond is as follows: Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Hootie & the Blowfish, Counting Crows, Foster The People, Goose, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Jesse Welles, Jessie Murph, Of Monsters and Men, The Flaming Lips, The War on Drugs, Charley Crockett, 4 Non Blondes, Portugal. The Man, Gary Clark Jr., Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Father John Misty, Max McNown, The Fray, Squeeze, Cheap Trick, Marcus King Band, Angus and Julia Stone, Cameron Whitcomb, Adam Ant, Amos Lee, Fitz and the Tantrums, Violent Femmes, Maddox Batson, Maoli, Lindsey Stirling, Noah Cyrus, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Devil Makes Three, Better Than Ezra, Durand Jones & The Indications, Jet, Plain White T’s, Buffalo Traffic Jam, The Return of Jackie and Judy, Our Lady Peace, Sons of Legion, Avery Anna, Matt Hansen, The Church, Gabriella Rose, Lisa Loeb, Uncle Lucius, Yächtley Crëw, Stella Lefty, Joan Osborne, Paula Cole, Vertical Horizon, Kaitlin Butts, Langhorne Slim, The Creekers, Henrik, The Infamous Stringdusters, Amigo The Devil, Howie Day, Tonic, Cracker, Sierra Hull, Kitchen Dwellers, Nine Days, The Verve Pipe, Congress The Band, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Noah Rinker, The Stews, Couch, hey, nothing, Bryan Martin, Penelope Road, S.G. Goodman, Magoo, Atlus, Sawyer Hill, Rattlesnake Milk, Jason Scott & The High Heat, Levi Turner, Ben Chapman, Clover County, Nathan Bess, Palmyra, Kevian Kraemer, Ryman, Shelby Means, Caleb & Reeb, The Steel Wheels, Rainbow Girls, Fireside Collective, Woodbox Heroes, The Fretliners, Meels, Mason Via and Vickie Vaughn Band.
Bourbon & Beyond Fans Have Access to Kentucky Kingdom
Bourbon & Beyond attendees can enhance their festival experience further with FREE access to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom, which became part of the festival footprint in 2025. Kentucky Kingdom will be open exclusively to festival attendees during Bourbon & Beyond.
2026 Bourbon & Beyond Festival Passes on Sale Now
Passes are on sale now at BourbonAndBeyond.com starting at $1 down using layaway, with over 6 months to pay in full. Options include:
- 4-Day and Single Day GA
- 4-Day and Single Day Mint VIP
- 4-Day and Single Day Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP
A very limited supply of Single and 4-Day Angel’s Envy Beyond VIP passes are available for the most exclusive access and luxury amenities. And for fans who want to celebrate the biggest eight days of music in the United States, an Exacta Pass offers GA entry to back-to-back weekends in Louisville at both Louder Than Life (September 17-20) and Bourbon & Beyond (September 24-27). Starting at $700 (all in, fees included), an Exacta Pass is less than $88 per festival day. Find more info here.
Bourbon & Beyond was named Pollstar’s Global 2025 Festival of the Year, and is produced by Los Angeles-based Danny Wimmer Presents, one of the largest independent producers of destination music festivals in America. It was also named one of Garden & Gun’s Ten Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals.
In 2025, Bourbon & Beyond welcomed fans from over 50 states and around the world to Louisville. Bourbon & Beyond and DWP’s Louisville companion festival Louder Than Life, which take place back-to-back weeks, generated over $43 million in local economic impact in 2025 and drew more than 450,000 attendees booking over 60,000 hotel room nights and creating a visitor boom at local restaurants and other businesses, including bourbon distilleries along the Urban Bourbon Trail.
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