Louder Than Life Festival Announces Expansion: Theme Park Rides, Larger Grounds, and More Improvements

by The Metalverse

Updated August 07, 2025

Yesterday, Danny Wimmer Presents—the promoter who hosts many of the largest rock and metal festivals in the U.S announced that Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond will be introducing some pretty significant changes into the 2025 iteration of the festival.

All festival tickets will include entrance to Kentucky Kingdom—a new theme park addition where festival-goers can enjoy rides, roller coasters, and even the Giant Ferris Wheel. Kentucky Kingdom will be open from 2-9PM with the Ferris wheel remaining open until 10PM.

Another huge change is that the Kentucky Expo Center will be open for attendees, allowing an indoors refuge from the Kentucky summer heat. The expo center will have lounge seating and merch available for purchase.

Louder Than Life will also have an expanded lineup with a new 7th stage inside the Kentucky Kingdom Theme Park that will add another 12 artists to the bill. So far announced artists for this stage are XweaponX, Haywire 617, and Silly Goose.

Additional changes to the festivals:

More shaded areas and tree cover throughout the fairgrounds
A more spread-out festival layout to allow more space for attendees
Larger turf areas in the main stages and GA zones
An additional main entrance to allow faster entry for more people
More roadways and parking will be utilized for ease of access
A new dedicated taxi/rideshare area
Improved shuttling

For VIP Ticketholders:

The MINT VIP area will be 35% larger than previous years
A new 3-story shaded area for viewing
Additional shaded areas in VIP sections

The festival organizers have stated that they wanted the new changes to help accommodate and make attendees more comfortable.

“This move has been years in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally bring it to life. With Bourbon & Beyond, and Louder Than Life both growing year over year, we knew it was time for more space, more comfort, and more ways to elevate the fan experience beyond just the music,” Danny Wimmer said in a news release. “The new layout delivers so much to be excited about: expanded shade, indoor experiences, air-conditioned areas, and—thanks to our collaboration with Kentucky Kingdom—an amusement park inside the festival. It’s a truly unique addition that brings incredible value to fans, along with more food options, more ways to cool off, and so much more to explore. I’m ecstatic because this is just the beginning of something truly special for our festivals in Louisville.”

Bourbon and Beyond will be held from September 11-14th while Louder Than Life will take place on September 18-21st.

See the full festival map for Louder Than Life 2025 below: