Heading to Bourbon & Beyond? Our top recommendations for each day of the music festival

It's called "the world's largest bourbon and music festival" for good reason.

Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Tyler Childers, and Zach Bryan will headline the 2024 Bourbon & Beyond Music Festival at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center. But the headliners are just the tip of the iceberg at the four-day festival, which runs Sept. 19-22.

With over 100 acts spread across five stages plus culinary and spirits demonstrations and celebrity appearances, the real magic of Bourbon & Beyond lies in dipping a toe into multiple offerings throughout each festival day.

To help you navigate your Bourbon & Beyond experience, you'll want to prioritize must-see acts on each stage while juggling set times with travel distance between the stages. Be sure to make a note of the non-musical events on the culinary and spirits stages and include breaks for food, water, and exploring the additional activities scattered throughout the festival, especially during the hottest part of the day.

Experienced festivalgoers will tell you to familiarize yourself with the festival layout and lineups before you arrive. Specifically, note the location of the various music stages which include the Barrel, Oak, Yonder, Beyonder and Bluegrass Situation stages. Ahead of your arrival at the festival, know the location of the parking lot, entry gate, bathrooms, specialty bars, art activations, refillable water stations, and if you're using them, the locker locations. Additionally, activate your festival wristband and upload the festival's mobile app in advance of your arrival.

Using the mobile app, we suggest you screenshot the festival grounds map and the daily lineup so you can reference the information even when the app delays. There are times, usually in the evening, when cell service can be hit-or-miss due to the size of the crowd.

A note about bringing a foldable chair to the venue. If you haven't already purchased a Lawn Chair Pass, leave your chair at home. Passes for 2024 are sold out.

Whether you have a single-day general admission pass or a more expensive VIP ticket, here are some ideas to help you plan your day for each of the four days of the 2024 Bourbon & Beyond music festival.

Day 1: Thursday at Bourbon & Beyond

START OF THE DAY:

Your first day will give you an idea of how long it will take you to get from the parking lot through the entry gate. It's also a good day to scope out the rest of the venue and make note of the location of the stages, activations, food and beverage booths, and bathrooms.

• Blues artist Andy Frasco is a guest on "The Firkin Podcast: Every Drink Tells A Story" at 12:30 p.m. on The Workshop Stage. You can also catch Andy Frasco and The U.N. performing on the Yonder Stage at 3:45 p.m.

• At 1:30 p.m., Tom Jackson of Kamado Joe will be cooking during the Grill & Thrill on the Culinary Atelier Stage.

AFTERNOON:

• Singer, songwriter, storyteller, and actor Lyle Lovett is on the Oak Stage at 3:35 p.m.

• Jakob Dylan, People's Sexiest Rock Star in 1997 and the son of folk legend Bob Dylan, performs with his band The Wallflowers at 4:15 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.

• Kentucky native Sam Bush, the founder of the progressive style of bluegrass music called New Grass, is on the Bluegrass Situation Stage at 7:10 p.m

EVENING:

• Don't be a "Loser." Beck plays the Barrel Stage at 7:50 p.m.

• Koe Wetzel is performing on the Yonder Stage at 9:15 p.m.

• For the first time in six years, Sting 3.0 returns to headline Bourbon & Beyond at 9:15 p.m. on the Oak Stage.

Day 2: Friday at Bourbon & Beyond

START OF THE DAY:

Day two is a great time to catch a rising artist in the early part of the day.

• Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel at 12:15 p.m on the Barrel Stage.

• Grace Bowers at 1:50 p.m. on the Beyonder Stage.

• Rock icon Melissa Etheridge kicks off the second day of the festival on the culinary stage with Chef Amanda Freitag at 1:30 p.m. Make a note that Etheridge performs at 3:55 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.

• Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway at 2 p.m. on the Oak Stage.

AFTERNOON:

• JJ Grey & Mofro has played countless festivals, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Montreal Jazz Festival. The band plays Friday at 3:15 p.m. on the Oak Stage.

• At 5 p.m., wander over to The Workshop to see guitar prodigy and ower for Ass Pocket Whiskey, Derek Trucks of Tedeschi Trucks Band during a live chat and bourbon tasting with Carrie Van Winkle of Pappy Van Winkle. Friday evening Tedeschi Trucks Band performs on the Barrel Stage at 7:40 p.m.

• Black Pumas bring their unique brand of psychedelic soul to the Oak Stage at 6:35 p.m.

EVENING:

• Recently nominated for the CMA's Vocal Group of the Year, The Red Clay Strays play the Beyonder State at 8:05 p.m.

• Platinum-selling and Grammy-nominated singer and actor Chris Isaak is on the Yonder Stage at 8:55 p.m.

• Expect a massive crowd when the Dave Matthews Band hits the Oak Stage at 8:55 p.m. DMB is the second-largest ticket-seller in the world (behind U2), according to trade publication Pollstar, which tracked the top touring artists of the past 40 years.

Day 3: Saturday at Bourbon & Beyond

START THE DAY:

Day three is a great time to catch a panel on the Workshop Stage:

• At 2:30 p.m. at The Workshop Stage, it's your chance to listen in on a panel of esteemed guests whose legacies span generations in the world of whiskey craftsmanship including Preston Van Winkle, Eddie Russel, Bruce Russel, Fred Noe, and Freddie Noe.

• Chart-topping country artist Niko Moon performs at 2:45 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.

• Kaleo, the Grammy-nominated Icelandic rockers perform on the Barrel Stage at 4:05 p.m.

AFTERNOON:

• West Virginia native Sierra Ferrell has toured with Zach Bryan and The Avett Brothers. Rolling Stone called the 35-year-old singer-songwriter one of "country and roots music's most fascinating and fasting rising artist." Ferrell performs at 4:50 p.m. on the Oak Stage.

• Young The Giant will appear at The Workshop with Chef Claudette Zepeda at 5:30 p.m. for a session titled "Mexican Meets Bollywood: A Flavor Explosion."

• Grammy Award winner Soul Asylum will perform at 6:20 p.m. on the Yonder Stage

EVENING:

• Trailblazing independent musician Cody Jinks plays at 7:50 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.

• Indi rock is more your genre, Young the Giant hits the Yonder Stage, also at 9:15 p.m.

• Country music superstar Zach Bryan is Saturday's headliner on the Oask Stage at 9:15 p.m.

Day 4: Sunday at Bourbon & Beyond

START THE DAY:

It's the final day of Bourbon & Beyond so start to say goodbye to the friends you've made and enjoy the last few hours of music:

• The Bacon Brothers, made up of actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Mike, an Emmy-winning composer, perform at 1:30 p.m. on the Barrel Stage.

• Grammy-nominated The War and Treaty perform at 2:05 p.m. on The Oak Stage. Husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter have opened for everyone from Chris Stapleton to Brandi Carlile and John Legend.

• Check out what's sure to be an entertaining panel discussion featuring comedian Jim Gaffigan as he shares the story behind his venture into the world of bourbon with Fathertime during Comedy and Craftmanship with Jim Gaffigan, at 2:15 p.m. at The Workshop.

AFTERNOON:

• The legendary band that keeps summer alive all year, The Beach Boys, performs at 4 p.m. at the Barrel Stage.

• Rock meets culinary magic when Chef Jamie Bissonnette unleashes his punk rock flair while teaming up with drum legend Murph of Dinosaur Jr. at 4:15 p.m. at The Workshop. Dinosaur Jr. performs on The Yonder Stage at 7:20 p.m.

• The Ohio indie rock band The National hit The Oak Stage at 6:35 p.m.

EVENING:

• Louisville's own My Morning Jacket will perform on the Barrel Stage at 7:40 p.m.

• Milky Chance, known for blending alternative rock, electronic, reggae, folk, and indie genres, performs on the Yonder Stage at 9 p.m.

• Award-winning Kentucky country music hitmaker Tyler Childers brings the 2024 Bourbon and Beyond to a close. The headliner starts at 9 p.m. on The Oak Stage.

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: View our Bourbon and Beyond 2024 music, food guide