Bourbon & Beyond 2026 Recap From Two Festival Veterans

Two festival veterans break down Bourbon & Beyond 2026 in Louisville: the crowd, the hotels, the VIP setup, the beer prices, and the weather.

Barry and Russ are joined by our senior and junior correspondents, Trevin Bernarding and David Champion, who go to several festivals every year. They review the festival from the gate to the stage, then compare it with the rest of the circuit and look ahead to 2027.

In this episode:

- What Bourbon & Beyond is like: an older crowd, lots of guitars, no DJ sets

- The hotel rule that surprised them, plus VIP and general admission

- The amusement park, festival beer prices, and "And Beyond" branding

- How cancellations, evacuations, and weather shape their festival plans

- Their best tips for first-timers and how they find new bands

Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news!

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(00:00) Intro

(03:12) Bourbon & Beyond 2026 Recap

(18:51) Hotels, VIP & Festival Comforts

(26:48) Planning 2027 & the State of Festivals

(38:20) Best Tips & Festival Discoveries

(46:01) Outro

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