Keeneland’s Railbird Festival Brings Bourbon to Center Stage

The Railbird Music Festival brings the best of bourbon to Lexington. Photo Courtesy Railbird.

Experience Keeneland like never before with the inaugural Railbird Festival, taking place August 10th and 11th on the grounds of the historic racecourse in Lexington. A Kentucky extravaganza through and through, Railbird is centered around music, bourbon, and equine.

Stages throughout the festival will feature over 30 world-class artists. Railbird’s lineup includes The Raconteurs, Hozier, Brandi Carlile, Kentucky native and local favorite Tyler Childers, and more! One special stage is curated by Lexington’s local music venue The Burl to showcase their favorite artists.

Although the horses won’t be running at the Keeneland track during the festival, Railbird guests can get in on the action and wager on off-track betting with coast-to-coast simulcast from Del Mar to Saratoga on the festival grounds. Plus, they can dive into the heart of Lexington with guided tours of world-renowned horse facilities and trackside views during morning thoroughbred workouts.

Best of all (to bourbon lovers, at least), guests will find themselves at home in The Rickhouse, which will host immersive bourbon experiences with ultra-rare pours from some of Kentucky’s finest distilleries. They’ll be featuring cocktails, flights, and more – including some exclusive barrel picks.

Barrels of Four Roses, Blanton’s, Buffalo Trace, Pinhook, Old Forester, and the elusive Weller Full Proof were all privately selected by the festival in partnership with Justins’ House of Bourbon. VIP guests will get first pick at purchasing bottles from these hard-to-find barrel picks, to be picked up at Justins’ House of Bourbon in downtown Lexington. Remaining bottles will be available at the festival to general admission ticket holders.

The Railbird lineup will also include 7 world class chefs, including 2019 Top Chef Runner-Up Sara Bradley from Paducah, KY, and Bourbon Country’s Culinary Queen Chef Ouita Michel. Chefs will be hosting Sip and Savor demonstrations free to all ticket holders.

Tickets are on sale now – link here to get yours!

Caroline Paulus
Caroline Paulus is the Senior Editor for The Bourbon Review. She lives and writes in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow her on Instagram @misswhiskeyhistorian to keep up with her latest in bourbon news - and a few old finds, too.