Top Annual Bourbon Events
Come Find Bourbon aplenty at these annual celebrations
Any time of year is a great time to drive Kentucky’s Authentic Bourbon Road Trip to Covington, Frankfort, and Bardstown. Bourbon-centric events add even more enticement to visit and can help narrow down the timeframe of when to make the trip if you can’t quite decide when to get here. Whether you want to fill up your 2024 calendar, plan different trips into the future, or just love a party, these annual events never disappoint.
Bonded Spirit Bluegrass Festival
Covington KY
March 2, 2024; 5-10 p.m.
#BondedSpiritFestival
Now in its third year, the event now called the Bonded Spirit Bluegrass Festival was originally dubbed the John G. Carlisle Bottled in Bond Competition & Celebration. It’s been rebranded and expanded with the addition of live musical entertainment.
Bluegrass bands will now take the stage on Covington’s Court Street against a backdrop of the iconic Roebling Bridge. The 2024 musical lineup features Moonshine Drive, Sister Sadie, and The Goodwin Brothers.
While seizing the title as Covington’s first bluegrass festival, the event remains a celebration of Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon as well as the man instrumental in creating the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, a bourbon purity law advocated by Covington’s own John G. Carlisle, who during his life served as U.S. Senator, Speaker of the House, and Secretary of the Treasury.
Festivalgoers can enjoy bourbon sips, light bites, plus the annual cocktail competition showcasing six of Kentucky’s best bartenders using their favorite bottled-in-bond bourbons.
Come raise a glass to bourbon history while savoring some of today’s great bourbons and bourbon-based cocktails to the beat of bluegrass.
General admission tickets are $95 and include 1 oz. samples of all the competition cocktails, a food buffet of light bites, a ticket for either a beer or glass of wine, and the musical entertainment. VIP tickets are $165 and include all the above plus access to the Smoke Justis Bourbon Lounge, the chance to vote for best cocktail, 2 bottled-in-bond cocktails from bartender-created selections, a buffet dinner, a VIP experience featuring bottled-in-bond pours, and a gift bag. Tickets are available here.
Frankfort KY
October 5, 2024; early access at 1 p.m., general admission at 2 p.m. Event ends at 6 p.m.
#bourbononthebanks
Held each year on the first Saturday in October, Bourbon on the Banks is Frankfort’s premier annual bourbon tasting event set along the historic banks of the Kentucky River at Frankfort’s River View Park.
Come “Sip Bourbon, Explore History” during the event’s tasting samples, demonstrations, and educational discussions that showcase a variety of whiskeys.
The festival spotlights 60+ distilleries, bourbon industry influencers, regional food vendors, bourbon-themed artisans, and regional musicians. Several local breweries and wineries will also participate. Bottled spirits and wine will be available for purchase at the event.
With an eye on the future, portions of proceeds from the event fund scholarships to qualifying students who attend accredited, college-level distillation and fermentation science certification or degree programs.
Adults age 21 and older are invited to attend the festival; a limit of 2,000 tickets will be sold. A range of different admission levels are offered, including general admission for $75, a $95 early access ticket, plus a $150 special access pass that includes 5-hours of tasting time to explore 60+ distillers, an exclusive tasting experience, access to the VIP tent, private bathrooms, and more. Tickets are available here.
Bonus: Arrive early and you can also enjoy Bourbon Street on Broadway, set for October 4, 2024, 6-9:30 p.m. This family-friendly event kicks off the festival weekend with performances by aerialists, fire eaters, human statues, musicians, and other entertainers. There’s a Kids Zone for children and a pub stroll for adults. In addition to downtown restaurants, refreshments will be available from regional mobile food and beverage vendors. This non-ticketed event is open to the public.
Bardstown KY
September 13-15, 2024
#kybourbonfest
Held during National Bourbon Heritage Month, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival attracts bourbon enthusiasts from all over the world to celebrate the spirited history and craft of bourbon. The event is so popular and well-loved that tickets sold out in 2022 and 2023.
This annual celebration of Kentucky Bourbon, hosted in the Bourbon Capital of the World, features over 50 of Kentucky’s top distilleries. The range of spirits presented includes single barrel, small batch, and craft productions as well as some of the world’s best-known brands.
Throughout the festival, the lawn at Spalding Hall will serve as the stage for bourbon tastings, education talks, branded booths, a festival merchandise tent, plus rows of booths filled with goods by bourbon-inspired artisans.
Additional events will be held at sites throughout Bardstown, including The Brindiamo Penthouse which will host premium events like rare and vintage bourbon tastings and cocktail demonstrations and tastings among other unique opportunities.
The event schedule includes a bourbon barrel relay race, live musical entertainment, themed tastings, cooking demonstrations, and much more.
Tickets are not on sale yet. Follow @VisitBardstown on Facebook and Instagram for announcements about when they will become available.
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Bonuses:
The inaugural National Bourbon Week is set to be held in Bardstown June 11-16, 2024, with tons of distillery events, the Bardstown Collection release, and the annual bourbon city street concert. Follow @VisitBardstown on Facebook and Instagram for details about this new event.
The 43rd annual Bardstown Arts & Crafts Festival is another great time to visit Bardstown. Set for October 12-13, 2024, admission is free at this family-friendly, two-day event that showcases over 250 artists’ booths along with food, drink, and entertainment. A children’s area helps youngsters burn off some adrenaline.
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Come Find Bourbon supports responsible bourbon enjoyment. Must be 21 to participate and always enjoy your bourbon like a true Kentuckian, responsibly. Come Find Bourbon is a marketing partnership between meetNKY, Visit Frankfort, and Visit Bardstown.