Louisville prepares for another wave of music lovers as Louder Than Life follows Bourbon & Beyond

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Bourbon & Beyond Festival brought hundreds of thousands of music lovers to the heart of Louisville, filling expressways, streets, restaurants, and hotels.

After just a brief lull, the city is about to pick up the pace again as it prepares for a new crowd—rock and metal fans arriving for the Louder Than Life festival.

Louder Than Life goes from Sept. 26-29 at Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center.

From bourbon enthusiasts to heavy metal music, Louisville is the place to be for two weeks in September. The two festivals combine to bring an estimated 375,000 people together to see more than 230 artists.

Transitioning from one massive event to another isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It takes weeks of planning, coordination, and quick action to make sure everything runs smoothly.

“Today we are trying to make sure everything’s tightened up on the existing activations, and we’re going to switch one of them to kind of match the crowd and match the vibe for Louder Than Life a little better,” said Alina Kendzior of the J. Wagner Group, which helps spirit brands engage with festivalgoers.

The J. Wagner Group serves as the boots on the ground for brands, allowing concertgoers to actively experience products.

Kendzior says they adjusted their fan brand experience approach to fit each festival. For Bourbon & Beyond, they crafted leather goods, while for Louder Than Life, the team is taking a more interactive approach.

“We are going to do a guitar pick throwing competition,” Kendzior said. “It’s slightly different, but the content will stay the same, just tweaked to appeal to the crowd.”

While these festivals bring excitement, they also bring big business. Local hotels and restaurants are booked solid, benefitting from the back-to-back events. The Distil Hotel, located on Main Street in Whiskey Row, is one of the preferred hotels for festivalgoers and says it tackles this time of year much like the Kentucky Derby.

“Having them back to back is incredible,” said Casey Grinold, a manager at the Distil Hotel.

“Economically, that’s phenomenal for the hotel, and it keeps everybody working and busy. We love having the festivalgoers here.”

The hotel learned valuable lessons over the Bourbon & Beyond weekend and plans to reconfigure its approach for Louder Than Life to ensure the best experience for guests.

“Just making sure they have what they need, rooms are ready, and I can’t emphasize enough—water. We go through 10 cases per shift,” said Dre Battle, a front desk associate.

Louder Than Life kicks off Thursday, bringing another wave of music fans to the city.

The two festivals are expected to bring an economic impact of more than $33 million to Louisville.

Mötley Crüe, Korn, Slipknot and Slayer will headline the festival.

On top of the four headliners, Breaking Benjamin, Anthrax, Staind, Evanescence, Disturbed, Judas Priest and Dropkick Murphys join a lengthy list of acts that includes Louisville's Tantric.

Last year, the rock music festival brought people to Louisville from all 50 states and 22 countries to see Green Day, Foo Fighters, Tool, Pantera, Avenged Sevenfold and Weezer, bringing in a record 180,000 people for the festival.

For more information about the festival, click here. For ticket information, click here.

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