Local businesses boosted by large crowds during festivals held in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Crowds were a common sight last weekend in Louisville, benefitting local businesses.

Whether it was a return of annual events or neighborhood celebrations, it was a record-breaking weekend for numerous festivals in Louisville.

Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville Pride Parade, Gaslight Festival all ran concurrently this weekend

Bourbon and Beyond welcomed more than 133,000 festivalgoers during its four days on the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

On Saturday, Bourbon and Beyond hosted its biggest crowd in festival history. Festival officials said there were 41,000 people in attendance during the day that was headlined by Pearl Jam and Greta Van Fleet.

The music festival also broke a record for overall attendance.

"It's just a sign that the fans love this lineup, love this festival site, there's really something magical to the Bourbon and Beyond brand," said Chamie McCurry, chief marketing officer at Danny Wimmer Presents. "It's a magical festival that celebrates this community. It's rooted in our love for Louisville."

IMAGES | Artists perform in front of thousands of fans at Bourbon and Beyond festival

McCurry said the festival hosts were prepared for the large crowds.

"We knew we were going to have record-breaking crowds," McCurry said. "We had fans coming in from all 50 states and over 20 countries."

Gaslight Festival organizers estimated more than 150,000 people participated in the eight-day event that had over 300 vendors.

"I think it was different in the sense of just our spirits were ready to really come back this year even better than last year," said Deana Karem, Jeffersontown Chamber CEO and President. "Gaslight Festival is a family friend tradition. A lot of people come here to see their family and friends they haven't seen for a while."

Karem is still putting together final numbers, but thinks this year's Gaslight Festival was close to breaking attendance records. The crowds brought a big boost for local vendors and businesses.

"If you have folks that are spending $35 to $75 and each one of them is doing that in some variety," Karem said. "It's having a huge economic impact on our restaurants and businesses here in downtown and surrounding area. And that's really important to our local economy."

A free festival on Bardstown Road also had an economic impact last weekend.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Louisville Pride Festival also returned last Saturday. Hundreds of people celebrated in support of the LGBTQ+ community, the sixth year for the event that's put on by the Louisville Pride Foundation.

The festival on Bardstown Road had two stages for live entertainment with local musical artists, drag shows and local theatre productions. There were also more than 100 vendors and a wellness zone.

"For most of the bars, restaurants, the retail shops, they have a really great day," said Mike Slaton, executive director of Louisville Pride Foundation. "All the vendors seemed very happy with their sales, with their response. A lot of nonprofits were there talking to people. Everyone seemed very pleased with the turnout and level of engagement."

The festival themed "welcome home" exceeded the expectations of organizers, Slaton said.

Louisville will continue to play host to music festivals as Louder Than Life returns later this week.

Louder Than Life goes from Sept. 22-25. Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, KISS and Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline music festival.

"We are on site, we are already transitioning into Louder Than Life, we are bringing in two more stages," McCurry said. "We are moving some things around to accommodate for the large crowds we're expecting."

To purchase Louder Than Life, passes, click here.

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Local businesses boosted by large crowds during festivals held in Louisville