Things To Look Forward To in Louisville in 2025
2024 was an epic year for the city of Louisville and there is plenty more to look forward to in the year ahead. From new hotels and bourbon experiences to once-in-a-lifetime anniversaries and a myriad of refreshed outdoor spaces, here are some of the top things to get excited about in 2025.
ANNIVERSARIES
Opened in 1875, Churchill Downs has been a Louisville institution for the past 150 years. Home to the longest continually run sporting event in the country, the Kentucky Derby, millions of racing fans have cheered on thundering thoroughbreds under the twin spires. In 2025, the National Historic Landmark will celebrate 150 years along with the completion of a $90 million renovation to the existing grandstand. The upgrade will enhance ticketed seating options while significantly improving and adding to the amenities available for guests in the grandstand area. The Grandstand Pavilion will become a more upscale social environment by converting the existing second-floor amenity space into a covered outdoor garden with new concessions, bars, and wagering windows. A new stately entrance to the Grandstand Pavilion will unify the surrounding exterior architecture. The 2025 racing season will kick off on April 26 during Churchill Downs' annual opening night event.
The 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby
One of the most well-known novels in history turns 100 years old in April 2025, marking a century since F. Scott Fitzgerald first published The Great Gatsby. Stationed at Louisville's Camp Taylor during World War I, a young Fitzgerald would find himself at the Seelbach Hotel for an occasional drink at the bar. It’s there that Fitzgerald is said to have rubbed elbows with mobsters and bootleggers. One of which was George Remus - the bootlegging King of Kentucky - who is said to have helped inspire the character of Jay Gatsby. In fact, Louisville is mentioned throughout the novel and is the birthplace of Gatsby's love, Daisy Buchanan. The Seelbach’s Grand Ballroom is written as the location of Tom and Daisy's lavish June wedding which saw “more pomp and circumstance than Louisville ever knew before.” Celebrate in Great Gatsby fashion by booking a stay at the historic hotel, or look for one of the many events coming to the city this Spring.
The 40th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby Museum
Coming off a record-setting year, the Kentucky Derby Museum will be marking four decades come Spring 2025. To celebrate the occasion a $2.3 million upgrade to The Greatest Race, a 360° 4K film, will feature remastered video, updated technology, and enhanced lighting and sound. The museum has also debuted a new fashion exhibit that will immerse guests into the fabulous and fanciful Derby Day ensembles that have graced Churchill Downs over the past 150 years.
The 20th Anniversary of the Muhammad Ali Center
The Muhammad Ali Center is a cultural and educational institution celebrating the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali. It features interactive exhibits, artifacts, and multimedia presentations highlighting Ali's achievements as a boxing champion, humanitarian, and activist. The center focuses on his six core principles: confidence, conviction, dedication, respect, giving, and spirituality. It also offers programs and events promoting social justice, personal growth, and global understanding.
BOURBON & BEER
Owensboro-based distillery Green River Distilling Co. is coming to historic Main Street in mid-2025. Joining around a dozen Bourbon experiences that line the blocks of Whiskey Row, Green River's tasting room will include a horseshoe-shaped tasting and cocktail bar as well as a retail and bottle shop selling everyday whiskies and limited-edition exclusives. The ground-floor space will also include a lounge, a small performance stage, and a seating area. Past the main room, visitors will find a speakeasy bar that will host educational experiences and private events.
Pursuit Spirits Visitor Experience
Co-hosts of the popular whiskey podcast Bourbon Pursuit will open a new visitor experience for bourbon aficionados in downtown Louisville on Main Street in early 2025. Only steps away from other recently opened bourbon experiences, Pursuit Spirits will join a barrage of tasting rooms opening in Bourbon City and allow guests to pick their favorite barrels or fill their bottles, along with hosting limited bottle releases.
FESTIVALS
After a successful first year, Bourbon & Belonging will return to the Bluegrass State in October of 2025. Led by Queer Kentucky, a diverse LGBTQ+ run non-profit, Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week is a state-wide LGBTQ+ inclusive event, including some of Kentucky's largest destinations such as Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky. The event will showcase the state’s rich Bourbon and hospitality, with a myriad of events ranging from behind-the-scenes bourbon tours to whiskey-infused drag brunches.
Bourbon & Beyond
Known as the world's largest bourbon and music festival, Bourbon & Beyond features performances by top artists spanning various genres, alongside bourbon tastings, master distiller panels, and mixology sessions. The festival also showcases local and celebrity chefs, offering an array of culinary delights that pair perfectly with bourbon. Set in a lively outdoor atmosphere, it celebrates Louisville's vibrant culture and bourbon heritage. The festival will take place September 11-14, 2025 at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Named the “Largest Rock Festival in America,” Louder Than Life has been a Louisville staple for more than a decade. Last year's lineup included Korn, Slipknot, and Mötley Crüe. The four-day festival will take place September 18-21, 2025, and is already making headlines as it has announced The Return of Slayer, an American thrash metal band that has come back together after a 5-year hiatus. Local food and drink culture will also be on display during the festival, offering pop-ups from popular Kentucky Bourbon brands and local Louisville restaurants and chefs.
HOTELS
Just one block up from historic Whiskey Row, this Curio by Hilton property will be coming to downtown Louisville in early 2025. The $75 million, 168-key hotel is just a walk away from Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries, the Kentucky International Convention Center, and the KFC Yum! Center Arena. The property will include a rooftop pool and bar along with an in-house restaurant, Bourre Bonne Steakhouse, which will feature a bourbon-inspired menu and elevated atmosphere.
MUSEUMS, EXHIBITS & ATTRACTIONS
Coming at the end of 2025, the oldest and largest art museum in Kentucky will unveil a $22 million, three-acre makeover that will transform the outdoor area surrounding The Speed Art Museum, adding a new outdoor park and sculpture garden. Free and open 24/7, the art park will feature 13 sculptures, add 150 new native trees, and picnic areas with access to the recently opened EST 1927 by Marigold café..
PARKS & OUTDOORS
Yew Dell Botanical Gardens - Castle Gardens Project
Located just 30 minutes outside of downtown Louisville in Crestwood, Kentucky, Yew Dell Botanical Gardens is an internationally-recognized center of gardening, plants and education. The site currently offers the public exceptional display gardens, community events, and hiking trails. This Spring will bring to fruition a $5 million project that will transform the area surrounding the iconic Yew Dell Castle into a stunning collection of new gardens and water features, while also making the space fully accessible to all visitors.
In the first component of Waterfront Park's Phase IV expansion, the Kentucky Science Center and Waterfront Park have partnered to create an outdoor experiential learning area called PlayPort. PlayPort pays homage to the Ohio River’s rich cultural and industrial heritage with authentic artifacts converted to play structures. This addition to the park will extend it's footprint west into the Portland and West Louisville neighborhoods, engaging communities and families and helping to stimulate learning, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and imagination.
For more things to do in Bourbon City and other happenings around town, please visit our digital calendar of events. Find a list of large-scale annual festivals and events by season here.