2025 Beer Fest FAQ, Derby City Gaming and Cornbread Hemp, Rare Book on Louisville Breweries, and More
Good Monday morning, all you very important people!
It is the week of the Frazier’s most attended fundraiser of the year and VIPs are lining up for Saturday’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest on Main Street.
Festivalgoers attend last year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 27, 2024.
Festivalgoers attend last year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 27, 2024.
We appreciate each and every one of you. We are working extremely hard to ensure you have the time of your lives.
Whether you are coming to get a taste of the best beers, sours, seltzers, and ciders in Kentucky or simply enjoy the awesome atmosphere on Main Street with live music, food, the Cornbread Hemp Fun Zone, and all the Frazier offers our community, all of you are supporting lifelong learning through the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. Thanks!
I’m happy to report that tickets are moving fast, so we are preparing for the biggest Frazier Summer Beer Fest yet. If you want to beat the heat, enjoy air conditioning, access indoor plumbing, and take in exclusive offerings, the VIP ticket is probably your play.
There are currently fewer than 100 VIP tickets available. VIP hours are from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. General admission tickets, also an incredible value, provide access between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Afterwards, Derby City Gaming will have shuttles to deliver folks to the official afterparty at its location on Market Street.
Below you will find your annual FAQ with everything you need to know about Beer Fest. We’re also featuring some beer artifacts from the collection, Stephen is sippin’ with some of our sponsors, and the Hot Sauce Brass Band and the Fellas Band round out the lineup for live music at Beer Fest.
There’s a book about brewery history featured in our Museum Shop and the design for the 2025 Beer Fest t-shirt is in. I think you’ll love it!
Be safe and be responsible. I hope to see many of you on Saturday! If you haven’t already, secure your tickets today.
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest map.
We’re so excited to host our fifth annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest this Saturday, July 26! As one of the museum’s largest fundraisers, Frazier Summer Beer Fest financially supports lifelong learning through our exhibitions and educational programs. So we hope you’ll join us!
What follows is an FAQ with answers to nearly every question you might have about this year’s beer fest.
Drone shot facing west above 2023 Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 29, 2023. Credit: Matt Davis.
Festivalgoers pose at 2023 Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 29, 2023. Credit: Isaac Barnett.
Festivalgoers enjoy 2023 Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 29, 2023. Credit: Isaac Barnett.
ABOUT TIME & LOCATION
When is it?
Saturday, July 26, 2025
VIP Admission, 4–8 p.m.
General Admission, 5–8 p.m.
Where is it?
Frazier History Museum
829 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
This year’s beer fest will take place in front of the museum, on Main Street between Eighth and Ninth Streets; and on the side of the museum, on Ninth between Main and Washington. The Frazier Museum and our Gateway Garden, which extends from Main to Washington on the east side of the museum, will host the VIP experience. Traffic will be rerouted so the festival can occupy the whole block.
Is the museum open?
The museum and museum shop are closed to the public all day, but open to VIP festivalgoers starting at 4 p.m.
Where can I park?
There will be no public parking in the Frazier’s lot (located at Ninth & Washington) that day. However, there are parking garages and surface lots in the immediate surrounding area. Please check out this Downtown Louisville parking map to review your options.
Guests are also encouraged to carpool or rideshare. Please ride responsibly.
Where is the point of entry?
There will be two points of entry, one located at Eighth and Main Streets and a second located at Ninth and Washington Streets. VIP ticketholders may enter starting at 4 p.m. GA ticketholders may enter starting at 5 p.m.
ABOUT THE BEER FEST
What’s on tap?
This year, we will have more than 200 styles of beers—many of which will be available exclusively to festivalgoers who purchased VIP tickets. On tap will be a wide variety of craft and specialty beers brewed by local, regional, and out-of-state breweries. In addition to the selection of standard craft and specialty beers, festivalgoers will have access to a selection of gluten-free beers, hard ciders, spiked seltzers, THC seltzers, and nonalcoholic beverages.
Breweries and beverage vendors include:
Against the Grain, Apocalypse Brew Works, Awry Brewing, Cornbread Hemp, Country Boy Brewing, Goodwood Brewing & Spirits, Gravely Brewing, Hop Atomica, Last Stop Brewing, Lexington Brewing, River Forge Brewery, TEN20 Craft Brewery, Trellis Brewing, and West Sixth Brewery.
Are there spirits?
VIP ticketholders will have indoor access to Kentucky Peerless and Mary Dowling tastings.
Is there food?
Food vendors including Bearno’s Pizza, Lou Diggity’s No Doubt, and the RK Bluegrass food truck will sell food.
Where can I sit?
Watson’s Furniture will furnish the GA and VIP tents with furniture for festivalgoers to lounge on!
Where can I cool off?
Misters on Ninth Street will ensure a “cool Kentucky” experience!
Is there music?
The Fellas Band will play a few sets on our Gateway Garden stage. The Hot Sauce Brass Band will roam the street performing! There will also be a rendition of the “Chicken Dance” led by a costumed chicken.
What does a VIP Ticket get me?
A VIP Ticket gets you: early access, indoor access to museum exhibitions, indoor bathrooms (and air conditioning!), and access to the Frazier’s Gateway Garden and exclusive additional beers.
What’s in the Cornbread Hemp Fun Zone?
Located at Ninth and Main Streets, the Cornbread Hemp Fun Zone will feature games and activities such as cornhole, Puttshack Louisville, bubbles, and a dunk tank! On-air jocks from Summit Media—Mix 106.9’s Jordan, Q103.1’s Dingo and Mike, and Classic Rock 107.7’s MJ—will be in the dunk tank. The festivalgoer who dunks the most wins tickets to Bourbon and Beyond! McCoy & Hiestand will offer a beer pong activation, as well.
What time does it end?
It ends at 8 p.m.
Where is the afterparty?
Derby City Gaming will host the official afterparty at its downtown location [401 West Market Street]! Derby City Gaming is providing a free shuttle service from the beer fest to the afterparty. The pickup locations is at the corner of Ninth and Main.
ABOUT TICKETS & ADMISSION
How much are tickets?
A ticket costs $90 (VIP) or $50 (GA).
As an alternative to VIP and GA, there is a third option: a DD (Designated Driver) Ticket. That costs $10, at any time.
Secure your tickets now at fraziermuseum.org/beer-fest.
Can I buy a ticket the day of?
Yes! However, we strongly encourage everyone to purchase their tickets in advance for faster entry or in case of a sellout.
Can I bring my child?
This is an adults-only event. No one under age 21—including babies, toddlers, or children—is permitted.
Where is my ticket?
The ticket is in your email inbox. When you purchased the ticket, you received an email from our ticketing platform, On Tap Tix. Each ticket has a QR code that appears near the bottom of the email. (If you purchased multiple tickets, there are multiple QR codes in the same email.) Please have that email open on your phone when you approach the beer fest entrance so we can scan it.
If you can't find your ticket, please provide a volunteer your name and ID so they can manually check you in.
Do I need my ID?
Please have your valid ID readily available for age verification.
What am I allowed to bring?
There are a few rules:
· No outside food or drink.
· No large bags or backpacks. (Small bags only.)
· No umbrellas. (Ponchos only.)
· No pets.
Louisville Water encourages guests to bring an empty, transparent water bottle. If you do, you can fill it up at the Louisville Water refill station. The station also provides paper cups. Frazier staff will check your bottle at entry points to ensure it enters the beer fest empty.
What if it rains?
Frazier Summer Beer Fest is a rain or shine event!
ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE
Who are the sponsors?
We thank our sponsors Cornbread Hemp, Derby City Gaming, Louisville Downtown Partnership, McCoy & Hiestand, Summit Media, Meritrust Wealth Management, Puttshack Louisville, Republic Bank, Louisville Tourism, Watson’s Furniture, Mary Dowling, Kentucky Peerless, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Louisville Water, Ale-8-One, and Danny Wimmer Presents.
Where do the proceeds go?
The Frazier History Museum is a nonprofit that encompasses everything Kentucky. We are the state’s largest history museum. Proceeds from ticket sales support lifelong learning through the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, which allow us to fulfill our mission of igniting the human spirit. The Frazier History Museum shares the unique and diverse people, geography, and stories that make us Kentucky.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
From the Collections: Falls City Minnow Bucket, c. 1950s
Falls City Minnow Bucket made about the 1950s.
We are all a-buzz and excited for our fifth annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest! It’s a great time to come down to the Frazier and taste 200+ different types of beer, listen to some great live music, and hang out with your friends. And if you purchase a VIP ticket, you will get access to our building where you can step inside and see of our beer collection. That’s right: at beer fest, our Senior Curator of Exhibitions Amanda Briede and I put up a table with beer-related items from three major breweries in Louisville’s history.
Today from the collection, we’re featuring a Falls City Beer minnow bucket from around the 1950s. For those of you (like me) who don’t fish, this is a bucket used to hold and transport live bait for fishing. That bait was often minnows—hence, the name.
Falls City Beer was founded in 1905 and survived Prohibition by producing sodas and ice. It became a dominant regional brewery before closing in 1978. But as chance would have it, it was revived in 2010 and is now brewing once more.
Purchase your VIP tickets so you can come inside to look at our table and say hello!
Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement
Sippin’ with Stephen: Derby City Gaming and Cornbread Hemp
The Frazier History Museum is a nonprofit that encompasses everything Kentucky. We are the state’s largest history museum! Proceeds from Frazier Summer Beer Fest ticket sales support lifelong learning through the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, which allow us to fulfill our mission of igniting the human spirit. The Frazier shares the unique and diverse people, geography, and stories that make us Kentucky.
This month’s episode of Sippin’ with Stephen is my annual promotion of the Frazier Summer Beer Fest, a fundraiser for those twenty-one and older. My guests this week are two of our corporate sponsors who are taking on the Afterparty and our Fun Zone: Kat Steffens, Regional Director of Sales and Business Development for Derby City Gaming, and Jim Higdon, Co-Founder of Cornbread Hemp.
Derby City Gaming will host this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest Afterparty at their location at Fourth and Market—and provide a free shuttle to get folks from Beer Fest to their location! Admission to the Afterparty is free with the purchase of a Beer Fest ticket. Cornbread Hemp will sponsor the Cornbread Hemp “Fun Zone,” which will include a variety of outdoor pub-style games. Both sponsors will also hand out SWAG to festivalgoers.
Secure your tickets to our July 26 Frazier Summer Beer Fest today! We look forward to seeing you here.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Museum Shop: 2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest T-Shirts!
The Frazier’s Heidi Janes and Adam Thomas model this year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest t-shirts on the Model T, July 16, 2025.
Beer tastes better in a great shirt. This limited-edition 2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest t-shirt is smoother than your favorite craft pour and twice as wearable! It’s soft-style, unisex fit, and perfect for hops lovers. Cheers to good taste—in beer and shirts! They’re available at the fifth annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest on July 26—and in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online.
Frazier’s Museum Shop Stocks Historic Book Louisville Breweries
Mick Sullivan holds a copy of Louisville Breweries in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, July 17, 2025.
My uncle, Peter Guetig, published the book Louisville Breweries in 1995 with his friend and co-author Conrad Selle. At the time, Louisville’s beer scene was only a hint of what it is today, but the history of what had been was robust. Peter’s book is a glimpse into the breweries scattered around town before Prohibition as well as the industrial changes afterwards. Names like Falls City and Fehr’s are pretty familiar today, but perhaps their history along with the dozens of long-gone neighborhood brewers are not.
Since its original release, Louisville Breweries has been a valuable resource for brewers, hobbyists, and historians. Peter passed away in 2020, but my aunt has found a few copies of the book and we have them for sale in the Frazier’s Museum Shop. Frazier’s Beer Fest would be a perfect time to get a copy—while they last!
(We’ve also got his books about Louisville dairies and mineral water.)
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Spice and Soul Tunes at our Fifth Annual Frazier Summer Beer Fest
The Hot Sauce Brass Band performs at last year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 27, 2024.
Simon Meiners leads the Chicken Dance at last year’s Frazier Summer Beer Fest, July 27, 2024.
The Fellas Band graphic.
We are “bringing it” when it comes to the jams this year at our Frazier Summer Beer Fest. The Hot Sauce Brass Band will return to the street level and engage with festivalgoers as they roam Main Street with their New Orleans Bourbon Street flair. They bring jazz, funk, blues, and pop all at the same time. They are a crowd favorite!
And yes, around 6 p.m. they will go all in on the Chicken Dance. The band will play the song as our beloved colleague Simon Meiners dons the chicken costume once again to lead any willing participant to join him. No one at the Frazier has yet to surpass Simon when it comes to those long legs in a chicken costume!
And for the first time we are welcoming The Fellas Band! The trio will play from our Gateway Garden rooftop so everyone can enjoy their blend of groove, soul, and—as they say—unshakable chemistry. I listened to a clip and they’re not kidding!
I asked them for a description and here it is: “Fronted by the magnetic Darnell Craig on vocals and keys, the band finds its heartbeat in Dijon Neal’s dynamic drumming and its deep pocket with Demond Bullard on bass.”
Okay, you had me at hello!
What a lineup of music. And, oh yeah, we happen to have beer, too!
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Hoorah for our Sponsors!
We want to raise a glass and extend our heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors who made the 2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest a success! Your generous support allows us to deliver the best event possible: from craft brews to great food and community fun. Thank you for supporting the Frazier’s mission to bring history to life in fresh, engaging ways.
From partners to local businesses who donated goods, services, or financial support, your contributions made a tangible impact. Thanks to you, we are able to offer a wide range of regional craft beers, live entertainment, and an unforgettable experience for all our guests.
We’re so grateful to have you as part of the Frazier family. Your support helps ensure that the museum remains a vibrant hub of cultural connection, lifelong learning, and fun.
Leslie Anderson
Sr. Manager of Grants & Community Development
