FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 THROUGH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
Tickets are on sale now! Click Here to purchase.
Applications are currently closed for the 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. However, you can sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on deadlines for future events!
Applications are currently closed for the 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. However, you can sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on deadlines for future events!
Don’t worry! We know things happen and we are prepared to provide assistance at our box office upon arrival. Simply provide your Order ID or the email address associated with your order or even just the purchaser first or last name and our team will take it from there! All valid ticket purchases will be honored regardless of whether or not you received your wristbands in the mail.
Please be sure to carefully read and follow the instructions associated with your wristbands.
For when the unexpected happens, please visit the Will-Call / Box Office location for additional assistance. Our team of volunteers will do all that they can to assist you!
Will-Call will open one hour prior to gates each day. 11:00am EDT Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Will-Call / Box Office is located near the main entrance at the corner of N. Fifth Street and Xavier Drive.
Do not put your wristband until the day of the festival. Wristbands are for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Do not remove your wristband between days. (Wristband can sustain showering and rain; however, swimming or submerging the wristband in water is not recommended.)
Lost, stolen or misplaced wristbands will not be replaced. Cut or damaged wristbands will be considered void. A fee to replace may apply.
For additional questions regarding your wristbands, please email support@wrstbnd.com.
For more information about what’s included for entry to various events, please see below.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival will take place on the historic grounds of Spalding Hall (114 N. Fifth Street) in Bardstown, KY on Friday, September 15 through Sunday, September 17, 2023. Gates open at 12pm EST each day; Closing at 6pm EDT on Friday & Saturday; 4pm EDT on Sunday.
*Ticket required for entry. Purchase admission tickets here.
YES. A physical wristband will be mailed to the address associated with the ticket purchase at least two weeks prior to the event and are required for entry onto the event grounds along with a valid 21+ ID. These wristbands will have built-in RFID technology and will be pre-programmed to allow for a simple scan to enter the grounds and specialty events associated with your ticket purchase(s).
YES. This is a 21+ event. All ticketholders- no matter their age- MUST have a valid ID with them for age verification.
Each admission ticket includes a ‘Wee’ Glencairn KBF-branded nosing and tasting glass, access to over 55 distilleries on the event grounds, live music across two stages, plus live interviews with the stars of the bourbon industry during the Bourbon :30 Show on the Main Stage, opportunity to purchase rare and unique bottles of bourbon, food trucks, and bourbon sampling from all participating distilleries on the grounds throughout the weekend!
Please click here to view available tickets, details and pricing. Must be 21+ years of age with a valid ID to purchase and attend KBF events.
Additional ticket purchase required for specialty add-on experiences. Click here to view available add-ons.
Please be prepared to show either an electronic or a hardcopy of the ticket with you along with your valid 21+ ID for entry to the following events- as wristbands are not required to enter these events prior to the Festival:
Wristband for entry required for the main festival Fri., Sept 15 through Sun., Sept 17. Purchase tickets here.
If you have not yet received your wristbands, please be patient until they arrive! In the rare event that your wristbands do not arrive in the mail prior to your arrival, rest assured that we will take care of you at the gate. Please check all email accounts including spam and junk folders for your wristband tracking information.
Wristbands are equipped with built-in RFID technology. Ticketholders will also have the ability to associate add-on experiences and also link a credit card to the wristband for easy transactions at participating locations during the event. Steps for this option will arrive with the wristband(s).
All ticket sales are FINAL and NON-REFUNDABLE. However, you can request to transfer your tickets to someone else 21+ years of age. See below for steps to transfer.
Customers must acknowledge and agree to the Terms & Conditions prior to completing the purchase including understanding of refund policy, age restrictions, COVID, prohibited items, etc. Please read carefully prior to accepting the terms of the transaction as ALL SALES ARE FINAL.
In the event that you can no longer attend, you may transfer your wristbands for entry to someone else 21+ years of age.
When ready to transfer tickets, please provide the new buyer with all the information necessary to activate the bands and gain entry into the festival.
If you know the buyer, simply provide them with the physical wristband along with the Order ID and instructions for activation that were sent in the mail. Activated wristbands will work for entry regardless of the name on the order.
If you don’t know the buyer or can’t get the wristbands to them in time, the original purchaser needs to email info@kybourbonfestival.com with the order number(s) and new buyer’s email address to indicate that wristbands for entry have been transferred to someone else. At that time, the original wristbands mailed will be void and we can issue wristbands for the new buyer to pick up at will-call.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is not affiliated with any secondary market sales and not responsible for these transactions.
Please email support@wrstbnd.com from the email associated with your order along with the buyer’s first and last name, and updated mailing address. Our team will respond with a confirmation once the update has been completed. Wristbands will be mailed at least two weeks prior to the festival. Kindly submit any address changes by August 29th.
Please email support@wrstbnd.com from the email associated with your order along with the buyer’s first and last name, with the request to pick-up at Will-Call. Changes should be submitted prior to August 29th.
Instructions to register and activate your wristband will be included with the wristbands you receive in the mail. Prior to activation, you will need to gather any and all confirmation emails received at time of purchase so that you can enter the unique code and link all tickets to your event wristband. You’ll also have the opportunity to link a credit card to your wristband for purchases at participating locations on the festival grounds.
To activate the wristband, use the code printed on the wristband. For add-on experiences, locate the activation code from the confirmation email at time of purchase.
Admission wristbands will NOT be sold at the gate.
Please visit our ticket page and click the drop-down arrow to view specific ticket packages and what’s included.
Each admission ticket includes a ‘Wee’ Glencairn KBF-branded nosing and tasting glass, access to ~50 premier distilleries on the event grounds, live music across two stages, plus live interviews with the stars of the bourbon industry during the Bourbon :30 Show on the Main Stage, opportunity to purchase rare and unique bottles of bourbon, shop the Bourbon Marketplace, attend the World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay, The Master Distillers’ Auction, the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, PLUS food trucks, and bourbon sampling from all participating distilleries on the grounds throughout the weekend!
Scroll down to see the full list of Marketplace vendors and food trucks. Click here to view the schedule by day.
Click here to view the full event schedule by day.
Events include the annual World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay bourbon barrel rolling competition presented by Independent Stave, interactive educational sessions with industry experts, culinary experiences, live music, rare and vintage bourbon auction, Bourbon in the Air and more!
Must be 21+ years of age with a valid ID to purchase KBF Tickets and attend events.
Decanter Club, Bourbon Enthusiast, and Flask Force wristbands will allow exclusive entry into the VIP tent located on the festival grounds. The tent will have small-bites, specialty drinks, private restroom, etc. for VIP ticketholders to come and go throughout the 3-Day Festival.
Specialty items included in the Flask Force ticket package will be available for pick-up here.
Existing ticket holders who would like to add Premium Events should email info@kybourbonfestival.com.
*Admission ticket required in order to attend specialty experiences. View available tickets for admission here.
Must be 21+ years of age to purchase and attend Kentucky Bourbon Festival events.
Of course! Admission tickets to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival include all-inclusive bourbon sampling from distillery booths throughout the weekend, the ability to purchase bottles from the distilleries AND exclusive KBF Single Barrel bottles from the KBF Bottle Shop, along with access to panels with industry experts, live music, marketplace vendors with unique handmade goods, delicious local fare, the World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay, opportunity to meet industry legends on the grounds and much more.
The World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay is an annual event where you can watch distillery warehouse teams race against the clock to roll and position multiple full, 500-pound barrels perfectly into a rick, presented by Independent Stave Company.
This exciting and family friendly event is FREE to the public, open to ALL AGES and will be held at the Don Harned Little League Field (across from the Bardstown City Pool) behind Spalding Hall- just outside of the Festival event grounds- on Saturday, September 17 from 10am-2pm EST. Food trucks will be available.
**No ticket needed to watch the World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay.**
The Master Distillers’ Bottle Auction will begin at 2pm inside the Oscar Getz Museum located on the 2nd floor of Spalding Hall. Items will be on display in the Chapel for viewing as early as 12pm. Items include Prohibition-era bottles, bottles signed by Master Distillers, bourbon experiences and five signed bottles of the excruciatingly rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon ranging in age from 10 to 23 years.
**No ticket needed to visit the Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum or to attend the Master Distillers’ Bottle Auction. Visitors who are arriving only for the Master Distillers’ Auction must walk around the perimeter of the Festival event grounds and enter through the side or back of Spalding Hall. A ticket is required to enter the event grounds.**
The Bourbon :30 Show, presented by Great Western Malting will be hosted on the Main Stage inside the event grounds and are anticipated to begin on the half-hour Friday and Saturday and on the hour Sunday with the last one concluding approximately one hour before gates close each day. Click here to view the full schedule by day.
There are ample opportunities to enjoy the Kentucky Bourbon Festival without imbibing- including panels with industry experts, live music, marketplace vendors with unique handmade goods, delicious local fare, the World Championship Bourbon Barrel Relay, opportunity to meet industry legends and much more. We hope you’ll consider joining us for a fabulous weekend.
Ticketholders MUST be 21+ years of age and have a valid ID to purchase Kentucky Bourbon Festival wristbands and attend events. No one under 21 years of age is permitted into the festival.
Smoking is only permitted in designated smoking areas.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is an outdoor, rain-or-shine event.
However, in the event of severe weather, we will keep our fans notified via email and our social media channels.
New for 2023! Enjoy over a dozen of the region’s top food trucks in our Bourbon Capital Bites area, presented by Wilson & Muir Bank & Trust Co
Hot Buns
Fry Daddy’s
Big Moe’s World Famous BBQ
Four Pegs BBQ
Rolling Tacos
Seafood Lady
Great Dane Pizza Company
Stumps Diner
Chop It Like It’s Hot
Immanuels Kitchen
It’s Tea Time
Philly’s Best Frozen Desserts
Addison’s Treat Shop
Sugar Rush
St. Joseph’s Church Men’s Club
Yes. You may bring an empty re-usable water bottle to fill up on the grounds during the festival!
The Fairfield Inn of Bardstown and the Louisville Mariott are the preferred hotel of the KBF but for a complete listing of local accommodations, please visit Bardstown, Elizabethtown, Lebanon, Springfield and Shepherdsville tourism websites.
Cash lots and/or street parking can be found within walking distance of the festival grounds. Please do not drive onto private property, block driveways, garages, etc.
North Fifth Street will be closed during the Festival between West Broadway Ave and Raspberry Alley, along with a portion of West Flaget Ave. Click here to explore a map of Bardstown’s Historic District.
To reduce staff contact with guest belongings, The Kentucky Bourbon Festival has the following bag policy: We will allow clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC tote bags no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” and/or small clutch bags (4.5”x 6.5”). Small purse and/or fanny pack may be permitted after search.
ALL BAGS ARE SUBJECT TO SEARCH UPON ENTRY. Guests have the right to refuse a bag search and the venue has the right to refuse entry. If you have any items that are not allowed into the venue, please return them to your vehicle.
Violation of prohibited items may result in ejection without refund.
Yes! The Bourbon Marketplace will be back in 2023. You’ll find unique, hand-crafted bourbon items, gifts and more at the North Marketplace (in front of City Hall) and the South Marketplace (in front of Spalding Hall).
Plein Air Artists will be showcasing their talent right in front of your eyes!
