Tickets for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024 will go on sale on 17 April, with 24 hours' early access for KYBF 'Insiders', the festival organisers have announced.
The festival in Bardstown, Kentucky is running from 13–15 September this year, bringing together bourbon producers from across the Bluegrass State with bourbon enthusiasts from around the world. It is timed to coincide with National Bourbon Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate the history, craft, and modern landscape of the United States' native spirit.
The 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Festival will offer four levels of VIP packages, along with 'Bourbon Taster' weekend general admission tickets and 'Sunday Sampler' Sunday-only passes. Tickets will be available to buy for KYBF Insiders — those who subscribe to the festival's e-newsletter — from 16 April, with general sale from 17 April. More information on tickets can be found at kybourbonfestival.com.
Randy Prasse, president and COO of Kentucky Bourbon Festival, said: “The Kentucky Bourbon Festival has sold out every year since we shifted to the truly bourbon-focused format in 2021. It has quickly transformed into a must-attend bourbon experience for enthusiasts from across the US and around the world. In fact, in 2023, 85 per cent of our ticketed guests were from outside of Kentucky and many extend their trips to beyond the festival weekend to visit distilleries and other attractions while they’re in the Bluegrass. We hope moving our on-sale date earlier allows both our visiting and local guests more time to plan their bourbon bucket-list trips.”
For its 33rd year, the festival will include an enlarged footprint on front lawn of the historic Spalding Hall (known as the Great Lawn), where Kentucky's top distillery brands will be located for the festival weekend. The expansion will allow for additional distillery tents; a new bottle shop, operated by Evergreen Liquors, where attendees can sample and buy bottles; and a new-to-KBF two-storey tent structure, with an official festival store on the bottom floor and a cigar lounge upstairs that includes three rentable cigar suites.
Ticket holders will be able to sample whiskeys from than 50 Kentucky distilleries, access exclusive barrel picks, watch talks and masterclasses with industry experts, try out a range of dining options, and explore the Bourbon Marketplace where more than 40 vendors will be present. There will also be the opportunity to purchase bottles directly from distilleries on site, with lockers provided for safe storage.
All VIP packages will include daily early entry to the festival, branded Glencairn glassware, and access to an enlarged VIP penthouse, with catering and bar service, and the new Whiskey House Kentucky VIP Porch, offering views of Craft Distillers' Row and the main stage. Those who purchase Flask Force or the new Flask Force Gold tickets will also receive branded flasks from Jacob Bromwell, and Decanter Club members will receive a branded Glencairn crystal decanter and access to all five premium distillery showcase events in the Great Tent. The three top-tier VIP packages will also have access to the 2024 KYBF Distillers' Row single barrel selection, which is being coordinated with Heaven Hill Distillery.
Cordell Lawrence, board chair and CEO at Eastern Light Distilling, said: “We are looking forward to a thrilling year of growth at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, the world's premier bourbon festival that embraces enthusiasts to not only enjoy incredible whiskeys, but also meet the people who craft them.”
Major corporate partners include the Koetter Group, Joseph & Joseph Architects, KPFF Engineers, Team Kentucky Tourism, B-Line, and Whiskey House Kentucky.
Bourbon Taster weekend passes are priced at $180, Sunday Sampler passes are $105, and VIP tickets start from $595. Premium events will be priced individually and will go on sale with admission packages.
