Danny Wimmer Presents Announces Footprint Expansion For Flagship Louisville Events: Bourbon & Beyond And Louder Than Life

Festival producer Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) announced a major festival site expansion and extensive fan enhancements at Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky for upcoming festivals Bourbon & Beyond (Sept. 11-14) and Louder Than Life (Sept. 8-21).

The upgrades to the 2025 festival location are possible as part of DWP’s recently announced 10-year lease agreement with Kentucky Venues to host Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life at the Highland Festival Grounds from 2026-2035.

The expanded festival footprint makes greater use of the Kentucky Exposition Center’s infrastructure with more space to improve crowd flow and comfort. In addition, all festival passes will include free access from 2:00 PM till 9:00 PM to amusement rides inside Kentucky Kingdom, which will be part of the festival footprint and open exclusively to festival attendees. The Kentucky Kingdom Water Park will not be open to festival patrons or the public during the events.

In addition, a seventh stage has been added to Louder Than Life inside the amusement park as a platform for new artists featuring XweaponX, Haywire 617, Silly Goose, Unearth, War of Ages, Convictions, Upon A Burning Body, The Browning, Fight From Within, Orthodox, Fox Lake and 156/Silence.

“This move has been years in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally bring it to life. With Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life both growing year-over-year, we knew it was time for more space, more comfort and more ways to elevate the fan experience beyond just the music,” states Danny Wimmer in a release.

Improvements include an immersive merch experience inside the climate-controlled Kentucky Expo Center; more tree-shaded areas throughout the grounds; expanded turf zones at the main stages and GA areas; an additional entrance to ease congestion; and a dedicated rideshare/taxi area and improved shuttle service.

As part of the expansion, Bourbon & Beyond will be more than doubling its GA Lawn Chair Pass capacity and releasing more for purchase to the public today.

Upgrades have been made to improve the VIP experience, too. MINT VIP is now 35% larger with an expanded layout designed for added comfort with a new, three-story shaded platform offering an elevated view of both main stages.

“The new layout delivers so much to be excited about – expanded shade, indoor experiences, air-conditioned areas and thanks to our collaboration with Kentucky Kingdom, an amusement park inside the festival,” adds Wimmer. “It’s a truly unique addition that brings incredible value to fans, along with more food options, more ways to cool off, and so much more to explore. I’m ecstatic because this is just the beginning of something truly special for our festivals in Louisville.”

Bourbon & Beyond returns for its seventh run in 2025 with a lineup that includes The Lumineers, Benson Boone and Alabama Shakes on Sept. 11; Phish (playing their only festival appearance of 2025 and first Louisville show in three decades), Khruangbin and Joe Bonamassa on Sept. 12; Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson, Jack White and Vance Joy on Sept. 13; and Noah Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls and Megan Moroney on Sept. 14.

The festival has a total of five stages with more than 120 artists confirmed including appearances by Cage The Elephant, TV On The Radio, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lake Street Dive, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Foreigner, Third Eye Blind, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo and others. The music, food and beverage bonanza was named Pollstar’s 2025 Global Festival of The Year.

Louder Than Life roars back on Sept. 18-21 with more than 160 bands on seven stages for the 11^th edition of the festival featuring the return of metal legends Slayer, Rob Zombie in a global exclusive performance of Astro-Creep: 2000 in honor of the album’s 25th anniversary, plus Marilyn Manson on Sept. 18; Avenged Sevenfold, Sleep Token and Breaking Benjamin on Sept. 19; Deftones, Bad Omens and A Perfect Circle on Sept. 20; and Bring Me The Horizon, $uicideboy$ and Evanescence on Sept. 21. Louder Than Life will also feature performances from Knocked Loose, Three Days Grace, Lamb of God, Mudvayne, I Prevail, Spiritbox, All Time Low, Dream Theater, Stone Temple Pilots, Motionless In White, Cypress Hill, Acid Bath, DOWN, Lorna Shore, Bruce Dickinson and many more.

In 2024, Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life generated more than $33 million in economic impact, according to Louisville Tourism, and drew more than 300,000 attendees, booking over 60,000 hotel room nights and creating a visitor boom. Since the Louisville debut of Louder Than Life in 2014, DWP festivals have experienced remarkable growth from an from 36,000 attendees over two days to record-breaking attendance with 70% of fans coming from outside Louisville, representing all 50 states and 27 countries.