My Morning Jacket, Leon Bridges, Dave Matthews Band and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have been announced as headliners at the Railbird Festival, scheduled to take place in Lexington, Kentucky in late August. The festival, which touts “Music * Bourbon * Equine” as its central pillars, will take place at The Grounds at Keenland on August 28-29. Tickets are on sale now.
Railbird debuted in 2019 and drew approximately 30,000 patrons. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the coronavirus, with organizers promising their return in 2021 at the time of the cancellation. “Rest assured, Railbird will return to the grounds at Keenland August 20-21, 2021,” their announcement read, in part. And it appears they are making good on that promise, save for a slight shift in date.
“While we all missed live music and experiences tremendously last year, the Railbird team looked at it as a time to build on the success of our inaugural festival and come back even better than before,” said co-founder David Helmers. “We’ve been planning intensely and are excited for the festival’s return to Keeneland with a list of world class artists, bourbon and culinary experiences.”
Those who retained tickets for the postponed show are able to redeem them at the 2021 festival. General Admission tickets are currently up for grabs for $155 per 2-day pass, with the less expensive $135 “tier 1” passes already sold out. Prices will go up as passes continue to sell, incentivizing early purchase. VIP passes that come with access to an elevated viewing deck of the main stage and drink service, are sold out. Single day tickets are not yet available.
Fans attending will be able to listen to music, bet on horse races that are occuring concurrent to the festival, and take advantage of bourbon tastings and other Kentucky-themed activities at Keeneland. MMJ and Bridges are the headliners for Saturday, joined on the bill by acts including Billy Strings, Black Pumas, Midland and Margo Price. On Sunday, Isbell and DMB are the headliners, with other acts including Khruangbin, The Revivalists, Band of Horses, and Tanya Tucker.
The full lineup is available at https://www.railbirdfest.com/lineup.
Capacity and safety plans have not yet been announced by the event organizers, who say that they will be revealed closer to the event date – presumably when they have a more firm grasp on what local authorities will and will not allow.
