'Such a fun and friendly crowd:' what happened Friday at Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville
Massive crowds turned out Friday for two of Bourbon & Beyond, the world's largest bourbon and music festival, which is taking over the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville now through Sunday.
Friday headliners include Phish, Joe Bonamassa, Khruangbin, The Teskey Brothers, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Gavin Degraw, and Colbie Caillat, and fans showed up early to grab a prime spot to see their favorite artists.
If you have been to the Kentucky State Fair, the festival and its companion event, Louder Than Life, which takes place next week, Sept. 18-21, now occuplies the same space. This new footprint is 2.4 million squre feet, making it double the space where the festival was held in previous years. Part of the expansion includes indoor access and that means an air conditioned oasis on hot days like Friday.
Inside the air-conditioned West Wing, we found a large merchandise area filled with all types of festival swag. Across the grounds, festivalgoers had the option to visit a variety of bourbon bars, including one from Maker's Mark, and check out brand activations, like the Ford Bronco Lifestyle: Built Wild Experience.
Here are some highlights from Friday at Bourbon & Beyond:
Fans hooked on Phish get their wish
Phish fan Amay Salim of Cleveland, Ohio attended Friday of Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky
Coming through the gates at 11 a.m. Friday, the distinctive, earthy scent of Patchouli was the first indication that Phish fans were out in full-force for day two of Bourbon & Beyond. The second clue, the sea of tie dyed t-shirts, cotton jumpsuits, skirts and bandanas.
For the first time in 30 years, the jam band Phish returned to Louisville to play two sets during the multi-day festival held at the newly expanded Highland Festival Grounds, 937 Phillips Lane. The iconic band, which last performed in Louisville in 1995 at the Louisville Gardens, brought fans like Amay Salim from Cleveland, Ohio to Friday's show.
"Phish fans are just the best. They are genuinely kind and such a fun and friendly crowd," Salim told the Courier Journal. "Their concerts are never the same and you can really get lost in the music."
Fans arrive for the second day of Bourbon & Beyond on Friday, September 12, 2025
Carrying a large inflatable yellow banana, Salim and her husband are consument music lovers who have attended enough large scale festival that they carry the banana to find one another in the crowd. Additionally, the banana is a converstion starter and the couple hands out tiny rubber bananas to any new friend they meet at shows across the country.
"Phish was the main attraction for us but when we saw the rest of the line up, we knew we were definitely making the trip to Louisville," Salim said.
Miles Miller of Versailles, Kentucky drops an album Friday
Miles Miller performs on stage at Bourbon & Beyond on Friday, September 12, 2025
The longtime drummer for Sturgill "Johnny Blue Skies" Simpson band, Miles Miller, of Versailles, Kentucky, was thrilled to be back in his homestate for a couple fo resason. On Saturday, he'll be on the Main Stage performing with Simpson but first, he played a solo set Friday, simultaneously dropping his second album "Mr. Runaway."
"Everytime I play in Kentucky is just amazing as I look out in the crowd and see so many people from home," Miller told the Courier Journal. "And to be releaseing this album at the same time is the best. It's like sending a kid off to college. I have been working on this for so long."
Miller played to a crowd of a couple hundred on Friday afternoon. On Saturday, he'll play to thousands as he keeps the beat for his buddy Simpson.
"In a way, it's frightening and awesome because you hope people will show up when you are dong your own music," Miller said. "Tomorrow is a whole different switch of the mind. It's big time rock star stuff. I am an incredibly lucky person to be able to do both."
As of Friday afternoon, Miller's new album "Mr. Runaway" is available to stream.
Miles Miller performs on stage at Bourbon & Beyond on Friday, September 12, 2025
Other Kentucky artists who performed Friday includ Grammy Award-winners Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter, who brought their award winning talent to a packed house at the Bluegrass Situation Stage.
Country artist Kelsey Waldron of Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky also performed on the second day of Borbon & Beyond.
Actress Elizabeth Banks on the Fork & Flask stage
Actress Elizabeth Banks is no stranger to Kentucky.
She has her “grandad” to thank for her first tastes of bourbon in in the form of Maker’s Mark Manhattans, Banks said from the Fork & Flask stage on Friday.
The celebrity of “The Hunger Games” and “Pitch Perfect” fame also spent time in Louisville while filming the 2003 movie, “Seabiscuit.” Plus, Banks got engaged to her husband at Malone’s, a restaurant in Lexington.
And she returned to Kentucky on Friday afternoon, after Chris Blandford, Kroger's Wine and Spirits Expert, sent an out-of-the-blue Instagram message about getting the star to attend Bourbon & Beyond.
“It’s so crazy you said yes,” Brandford told Banks. “It’s just nuts.”
“I’m super impressed,” Banks said of the festival. “What an incredible day. Incredible venue. Incredible people. Just Southern hospitality at its best.”
Though Banks said she enjoyed some bourbon earlier in the day, she’s more of a wine drinker these days as evidenced by the brand she co-owns, Archer Roose Wines.
“I want to spread the gospel of canned wines,” Banks said. “It’s the future of wine.”
Archer Roose products were available for purchase near the Fork & Flask stage, but that wasn’t the only place to grab wine.
For festival-goers in search of something other than bourbon, the Highlands Wine Garden, located near the indoor merchandise area, offered $20 mimosas and $15-$18 glasses of wine.
Visit the Whiskey Oracle at Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole Distillery's tent at Bourbon & Beyond not only offered cocktails and pours of bourbon, but the chance to gain some insight on your life.
The Louisville-based distillery hosted The Whiskey Oracle, consiting of guided bourbon-themed tarot card readings.
Here's how it works: With the tagline "your future is neat," attendees draw cards that are associated with Rabbit Hole expressions. "The Dreamer" card, for example, is a cue that you might enjoy Rabbit Hole's Heigold, a high rye double malt & bourbon. If you align with "The Artisan," go for a malted rye.
With your cards, and fate, chosen, you could then enjoy a refreshing cocktail from Rabbit Hole's booth. Options include a Bourbon Spritz with blood orange, passionfruit liquer, simple syrup, lime juice and soda water, plus your choice of garnish.
The Nautical Element at Bourbon & Beyond
Courtney Borman and Tracy Legal of Tempe, Arizona attended Bourbon & Beyond dressed to attend the Yacht Rock concert by Yachtley Crew.
Courtney Borman and Tracy Legal set sail from Tempe, Arizona to the 2025 Bourbon & Beyond Festival dressed in dapper nautical attire. The duo is fans of yacht rock, a music genre of soft rock favorites from the 70s and 80s.
"If you show up to a yacht rock concert, and you are not wearing a captains cap, you are in the minority," Borman told the Courier Journal. "It's like going to the Kentucky Derby without a hat."
Proving there is something for everyone at the festival, the couple was watching the bluegrass band Trampled By Turtles and then moving onto the Yachtley Crew concert at the Bluegrass Situation Stage.
The Los Angeles Yacht Rock band Yachtley Crew hit the 100 Proof Stage, performing 70's and early 80's soft rock at the Bourbon & Beyond music festival in Louisville, Kentucky, on Thursday, September 11, 2025.
"I am not as 'crewpie' as she is a huge fan. She loves songs like 'Steal Away' and 'Lido,'" said Borman. "It's a good time where everyone is smiling and dancing and they are ages 18 to 85."
Reach lifestyle and entertainment reporter Kirby Adams at [email protected]. Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'Such a fun and friendly crowd:' what happened Friday at Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville
