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The fifth annual music festival Moonshiner's Ball has new dates (Oct. 11-14) and a new venue (Rockcastle Riverside).
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Taking place Friday, Sept. 21, the hot air balloon glow is an annual highlight at Berea's Spoonbread Festival.
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Louisville's fifth annual Louder Than Life festival will bring heavy rock heavy hitters Nine Inch Nails, Deftones, Godsmack, and more to Champion's Park Sept. 28-30.
PETE FEST
Sept. 7-9, Louisville, Ky.
A relative newcomer to the regional festival scene, PeteFest aims to raise funds and awareness for mental health advocacy while providing a fun, exciting and thought-provoking experience for attendees. Set in a nature preserve with plenty of room for camping, the second-year festival also focuses on environmental conservation and outdoor recreation in addition to celebrating music, culture, art and community. This year’s music lineup includes Ben Sollee, Jeff the Brotherhood, Son Volt and a Lousiville-centric tribute tot the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" album featuring Bonnie Prince Billy, Scott Carney, b and more, as well as several acts from Lexington - Joslyn and the Sweet Compression, Johnny Conqueroo, Scott Whiddon and Blind Corn Liquor Pickers. Visit the website to see who else is performing and to purchase tickets.
TAHLSOUND MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sept. 8, Lexington, Ky.
This second-annual community-oriented music festival organized by a collective of local musicians takes place at a venue that's of Lexington's greatest-kept secrets: The “Great Lawn” behind Oleika Temple. The event features a variety of local bands performing alongside food and retail vendors, with a strong focus on businesses in the Southland Drive corridor. This year’s music lineup includes The Ford Theatre Reunion, Leaden Verse, The Local Honeys, Big Fresh and lots more.
EXPANSION
Sept. 14-15, Lexington, Ky.
https://www.theburlky.com/event/1717286-expansion-lexington/
This inaugural two-day music festival designed to highlight psychedelic music and art at some favorite Lexington venues. Friday, Sept. 14 will see a primarily local lineup at Al’s Bar and Beer Garden while Saturday, Sept. 15 will feature a line-up headelined by nationally touring retro-pop psychedelia pioneers Spaceface, which shares a member with the Flaming Lips. Also on the weekend's lineup: Idiot Glee, Sweet Country Meat Boys, a DJ set from Lexington's own nationally-renowned psychedelic art creator Robert Beatty and more playing, alongside a backdrop of art and light installations by Silver Cord Cinema (analog liquid light shows) and projection mapping artist Psensibil.
SPOONBREAD FESTIVAL
Sept. 21-23, Berea, Ky.
https://www.spoonbreadfestival.com/
Spoonbread, a traditional southern dish that resembles a cornbread pudding or soufflè, is at the heart of this annual festival produced by the Berea Chamber of Commerce, but the weekend also features an array of events including a 5K run and fun walk, a pageant, a parade and hot air balloon rides. At the close of the first day of the festival, hot air balloons will light up the sky with beautiful colors during the Hot Air Balloon Glow. The family-friendly event boast a “kiddie land” where little ones can play on inflatables, and attendees can also catch live performances from Walker Montgomery, the Madison Dulcimers and Michael Douglas over on the main stage. Hundreds of vendors will be in attendance, selling everything from jewelry and candles to artwork and food - and of course, there will be lots of spoonbread for all to enjoy, as well.
BOURBON & BEYOND
Sept. 22-23, Louisville, Ky.
This massive celebration of bourbon, food and music returns to Louisville’s Champions Park for a second year, with a heavy-hitting music line-up that includes Sting, David Byrne, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow and many more. More than 20 local restaurants will be on hand to dish up tasty meals all weekend long, with featured chefs and culinary celebrities that include Tom Colicchio (head judge on “Top Chef”) and Edward Lee (chef and owner of several Louisville restaurants) leading workshops and demos throughout the weekend as well. Additionally, over 40 bourbon brands will be represented and bourbon masters will be on site to share their bourbon knowledge. The full schedule of events can be found here.
LOUDER THAN LIFE
Sept. 28-30, Louisville, Ky.
https://louderthanlifefestival.com/
This large-scale Kentucky whiskey, food and rock & roll experience was started by national production company Danny Wimmer Presents in 2014 and has continued to grow and expand. With a primary focus on heavy rock with a bit of hip hop thrown in, this year’s music lineup includes Nine Inch Nails, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Cube, Slash and many others. Other festival experiences include camping; a “Heavy Tiki Bar” presented by Jim Beam; a “Bourbon World” tent; and more. More than 20 food vendors will be on site during the 3-day event.
CROPPED OUT
Oct. 5-6, Louisville, Ky.
http://www.croppedoutmusic.com/
Located at the unique (and uniquely weird) Louisville riverfront venue American Turners Club, Cropped Out is a locally developed music festival with a decidedly laidback, DIY vibe. Designed to celebrate contemporary musicians and artists who have been "cropped out" from the mainstream, the festival highlights genres from outsider jazz and hip hop to garage rock, noise, folk and experimental. Performers at this year's festival include notable jazz composer Anthony Braxton (performing with South African harpist Jaqueline Kerrod), psychedelic hip hop duo Shabazz Palaces, art punk band Half Japense and many more. Attendees can camp out in a riverside campground during the 2-day event.
THE MOONSHINERS BALL
Oct. 11-14, Livingston, Ky.
https://themoonshinersball.com/
Founded and run by members of the Lexington band Blind Corn Liquor Pickers, this fifth-year music festival features a bevy of local and nationally touring acts in a new idyllic, riverside venue in Rockcastle County, about an hour south of Lexington. The family-friendly event also features camping, tons of kid-friendly activities, a food truck alley, retail vendors and more. Having moved to October for the first time after four years of late spring / early summer dates, this year's lineup includes Brooklyn funk maestros Turkuaz, acclaimed singer-songwriter James McMurtry, high energy jazz-fusion trio Moon Hooch and a host of popular local and regional bands, including The Wooks, Freekbass, The Local Honeys, Southern Avenue, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, Johnny Conqueroo, and of course, host band Blind Corn Liquor Pickers themselves. Camping is included in weekend passes, and attendees are encouraged to bring beverages of their choice (Rockcastle is a dry county!).