LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After two weekends packed with music, food, and excitement, the Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life festivals have ended, and now the muddy cleanup continues. 

Festival organizers joined volunteers early Monday to start the process of cleaning up the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center on Phillips Lane. 

Danny Wimmer Presents -- the organizer behind both festivals -- leases the Highland Festival Grounds from the Kentucky Expo Center, so it's responsible for cleaning up the mess left behind by thousands of fans during an extremely wet, sloppy weekend. 

Local promoter Joey Wagner with the J. Wagner Group, who represented several spirit brands at both festivals and the after-parties, said his team was up bright and early to tackle the mess.

"We started early this morning, loading out our clients and sponsors. We expect to have everything wrapped up in the next 24 hours, and then, it's straight into planning for next year."

This year's cleanup is especially challenging after heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene turned the grounds into a muddy mess. The nonstop rain and powerful winds caused the cancellation of Friday’s performances. It continued raining throughout the weekend, but that didn't stop fans from showing up in droves. 

Organizers said, despite the unfavorable weather conditions, Louder Than Life managed to attract between 47,000 to 50,000 attendees per day.

With that many people rocking out in the mud, Wagner knew cleaning up would be a tall task. 

"We threw on our rain boots, got a little muddy, but we made it work," he said. "At the end of the day, there's just nothing you can do about Mother Nature."

Danny Hayes, the Louder Than Life CEO, brought in mulch and even got some help from Bellarmine University's wrestling team to spread it around. 

Wagner praised Hayes and Danny Wimmer for rolling up their sleeves and stepping in to help out. 

"I saw Danny Wimmer and Danny Hayes out there, moving rock and mulch -- it just shows what kind of people they are," Wagner said. 

Danny Wimmer Presents issued the following statement on social media reflecting on the wrap-up:

"Welcoming fans from all over the world to celebrate Louisville is what drives us, and we're hearing such positivity from fans about the hospitality they received."

Friday’s cancellation was also referenced: "Obviously, the weather wasn’t in our favor on Friday, but the Loudmouths are resilient. They came back strong on Saturday and Sunday to finish out the weekend."

Organizers plan to release the official economic impact later this week, but projections suggest the festivals brought in more than $33 million to the city.

As crews continue to work to restore the grounds, the impact of having two back-to-back festivals will be felt for days. 

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