Last year, Bourbon and Beyond drew over 100,000 fans to the Highland Festival Grounds. | Photo courtesy Danny Wimmer Presents
Lucky you. You just found LOUtoday’s Plan Ahead, a list of some of the biggest events to plan for that are taking place throughout Louisville each month.
Take out your calendar, grab your day planner, or text all your friends — these are the top events we recommend visiting this month.
Kentucky Kingdom Bluegrass & Booms | Thursday, July 3-Saturday, July 5 | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay | $45+ | Catch live music during the day and see fireworks once the sun sets.
Waterfront Park Fourth of July | Friday, July 4 | Times vary | Big Four Lawn & Swing Garden | Free entry | Catch fireworks, hear local live music during the talent show, and bring the kids for crafts + activities.
Food and drink
Pickle Fest | Saturday, July 19 | 8 a.m.-1 p.m. | East End Farmer’s Market | Free entry | Get fresh pickles along with your other local produce, plus live music and crafts.
Louisville Street Food Festival | Saturday, July 19-Sunday, July 20 | 2-8 p.m. | Fourth Street Live | $10+ | Axe throwing, a free drink, and more food truck fare than you can eat — all this and more await you at this annual event.
Concerts
An Evening of Louisville and Kentucky Music and Songs | Friday, July 11 | 7 p.m. | Headliners Music Hall | Raise money for the Louisville Folk School with live performances from multiple generations of Derby City musicians.
Battle of the Bands | Friday, July 25 | 8 p.m. | Logan Street Market | $0+ | This inaugural competition will feature a panel of judges ranking local talent, each competing for a cash grand prize.
Classic Silent Disco at Ten20 | Friday, June 27-Saturday, June 28 | 8 p.m. | TEN20 Craft Brewery - Butchertown | $13 | Boogie in your own world across three channels of hip hop, pop, and decades.
Saturday, June 28
Kentucky Craft Bash | 12-5 p.m. | Brown-Forman Lawn at Waterfront Park | $10+ | Sample brews from 50+ breweries from around the Bluegrass state and meet the brewers behind them.
Somali Independence Day Celebration | 12-6 p.m. | Big Four Lawn at Waterfront Park | Free | Celebrate with the Somali Community Center of Kentucky + Somali Youth of Louisville with cultural performances and other activities.
New Voices Showcase | 4-6 p.m. | Actors Theatre of Louisville | $12+ | High school students and recent grads will collaborate with professional artists to create new work and present them at this showcase.
LouCity vs. North Carolina FC | 8 p.m. | Lynn Family Stadium | $19+ | It’s Nonprofit Night: Join LouCity to elevate local nonprofits, the organizations that drive positive change in our communities.*
Sunday, June 29
Summer Antiques Market | 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Locust Grove | $10 | Shop furniture, artwork, and oddities at this annual market.
GE is reinvesting ~$490 million from overseas manufacturing into its Appliance Park corporate headquarters. The move is expected to add 800 jobs to Louisville’s economy. (WLKY)
7 million. That’s how many gallons of water Louisville Water will pipe from the Ohio to Bardstown each day by 2026. Bourbon and other industry in Nelson County has spurred a need for a new water source.
Kids
Registration is now open for fall classes at the Walden Conservatory. Kids from Kindergarten through high school can enroll in courses on playwriting, improv, acting, and more.
Try This
And for the grown-up actors among you, Waverly Hills Sanatorium is hosting auditions for its 2025 haunted house. The first round will be Saturday, July 12, 12-3 p.m., with a second round on Saturday, Aug. 2. Participants must be 18 or older.
Ranked
Here’s a chance to put LOU on the map. Voting is almost closed for Conde Nast’s reader choice awards, and Louisville institutions like Nachbar, MilkWood, 21c, The Brown Hotel, and the Seelbach are up for awards. Cast your votes by Monday, June 30.
Featured Deal
Athleta’s Semi-Annual Sale is on. Take up to 70% off bestsellers, workout staples, and everyday favorites built to move with you. Hurry — the sale ends Sunday, June 29.*
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
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