Kentucky Bourbon Festival Delayed Until October

2020 has been tough on whisk(e)y festivals around the globe because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most have been thus far cancelled for this year, while some have retooled themselves for a more virtual experience. Others are still being planned for physically, however, as is the case with the delayed Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

The 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, according to those behind it, has been delayed for one month, and is now set to unfold October 15-18. Noted as being one of the premier festivals to celebrate this whiskey type, it will be held, as it has been in years past, in Bardstown, Kentucky.

“We are regaining 30 days of planning with this decision,” said KBF President and COO Randy Prasse in a prepared statement. “We feel that with this short delay, we have time to still produce a quality event – and do it safely. We will continue to monitor the CDC, the Governor’s office and the tourism industry, and implement our own best practices developed over our 29 years in existence.

“Unlike some of our region’s larger events, we are smaller and more agile and can make decisions a lot closer to the target. If we do have to cancel the event, we will but we owe it to our supporters and bourbon industry partners to make every effort to produce the 2020 Festival.”

Tickets for the 2020 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, it is said, will be made available for purchase at a later date. For those unfamiliar with the festival, it began “as a simple Bourbon tasting dinner and has grown tremendously over nearly three decades. Today, it’s known as one of the Commonwealth’s leading cultural festivals and as a celebration of the people and the community that have contributed to the state’s signature industry for generations.”