Festivals in Kentucky

Kentucky lives its music the way it distills its bourbon: slowly, deeply, with a strong sense of place. Between the rolling bluegrass hills, the Appalachian foothills and the banks of the Ohio River, the state has made Louisville its festival capital — it's there, on the Highland Festival Grounds, that Louder Than Life unfurls one of North America's biggest rock and metal gatherings, before Bourbon & Beyond blends Americana headliners, Southern cooking and whiskey tastings on the very same grounds. Further east, Railbird Festival sets up near the Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, deep in thoroughbred country.

But Kentucky's soul remains its bluegrass: in Owensboro, the cradle of the genre and home of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, ROMP Fest celebrates the roots of American country music every summer, while in the Appalachian hollows Healing Appalachia pairs live shows with a cause for the region. FestT calculates your FestiScore — the affinity between a lineup and your favorite artists — and keeps dates, headliners and ticketing up to date.