Top Bourbon Events & Festivals
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 when to make the trip if you can’t quite decide when to get here. Whether you want to fill up your 2025 calendar, plan different trips into the future, or just love a party, these annual events never disappoint.
Bonded Spirit Bluegrass Festival
Covington KY
March 8, 2025; 1-10 p.m.
#BondedSpiritFestival
Presented by Smoke Justis, the Bonded Spirit Music 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 and Americana bands will take the stage on Covington’s Court Street against a backdrop of the iconic Roebling Bridge. The 2025 musical lineup features Nat Myers, Lindsay Lou, and The Brothers Comatose.
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.
Festival goers can enjoy bourbon, light bites, and 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 beats of bluegrass and Americana.
General admission tickets are $60+ and include access to the full day of musical entertainment. Food, beer, and cocktails will be available for purchase, and these tickets are standing room only. VIP tickets are $185+ and include priority viewing of the main stage, access to seating in the VIP Lounge in Roebling Rickhouse tent, limited drink tickets and light bites, a gift bag, and more. Tickets are
now available for purchase.
Frankfort KY
October 4, 2025; early access at 1 p.m., general admission at 2 p.m. Event ends at 6 p.m.
#bourbononthebanks
Held annually on the first Saturday in October, Bourbon on the Banks is Frankfort’s premier 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 tastings, 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 also participate, and bottled spirits and wine will be available for purchase at the event. With an eye on the future, portions of the event’s proceeds fund scholarships to qualifying students who attend accredited, college-level distillation and fermentation science certification or degree programs.
Adults aged 21 and older are invited to attend the festival, and a limit of 2,000 tickets will be sold. A range of different admission levels are offered, including general admission tickets, early access tickets, and special access passes that include 5-hours of tasting time to explore 60+ distillers, an exclusive tasting experience, access to the VIP tent, private bathrooms, and more. Early access begins at 1PM, general admission opens at 2PM, and the event ends at 6PM.
Buy your ticket for Bourbon on the Banks!
BONUS:
Arrive early to take part in extra events on October 3, 2025. Experience a food and bourbon pairing, a VIP reception, and a rare and collectible bourbon auction. You can also enjoy Bourbon Street on Broadway, a street fair and carnival. This family-friendly event kicks off the festival weekend with performances by aerialists, fire eaters, human statues, musicians, and other entertainers. Children can enjoy the Kids Zone, and adults can take part in a pub stroll. 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 5-7, 2025
#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 Kentucky’s favorite drink. The event is so popular and well-loved that tickets have sold out the last three years.
This annual celebration of Kentucky bourbon is hosted by Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World, and features over 60 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, and rows of booths filled with goods made 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.
Follow @VisitBardstown on Facebook and Instagram for announcements and sign up to get notified on the
Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s website about when tickets will become available.
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.
