The short version: Bardstown is busiest from mid-September through December. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival (next up September 16-19, 2027) and the free Arts & Crafts Festival (October 10-11, 2026) are the two weekends that fill every bed in town. Christmas runs from Light Up Bardstown on November 27 through mid-December. Summer is outdoor theater and free Friday concerts, and January to March is the quiet, cheap season. The tables below give confirmed dates for late 2026, the known 2027 dates, and the patterns that repeat every year.
How to read this calendar
Dates marked 2026 are confirmed by the organizer or the tourism office. Where a 2027 date has not been announced, the table shows the 2026 date as a guide and says “expect,” because most Bardstown events keep to the same weekend year after year. Small-town events do shift (a rain date, a new sponsor, a theme change), so treat anything more than a few weeks out as a plan, not a promise. The last section tells you exactly who to check with.
Fall 2026: September to November
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 1-30 | “A House Divided,” Civil War exhibit | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Sept 10-13 (held) | Kentucky Bourbon Festival, 35th anniversary, sold out | Spalding Hall grounds | Ticketed, 21+ |
| Fridays and Saturdays | Bardstown Ghost Trek, about 90 minutes | Downtown | Reserve by call or text |
| Oct 1-31 | “Weep No More,” Victorian mourning exhibit | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Oct 10-11 | Bardstown Arts & Crafts Festival, 45th year | Streets around Spalding Hall and City Hall | Free |
| Oct 10, 7 p.m. | Dustin Lynch at The Amp at Log Still | Gethsemane | Ticketed |
| Oct 23-24 | Shadows of Federal Hill lantern-lit ghost tours | My Old Kentucky Home | $27 adults, $20 ages 4-15 |
| Oct 27 | Downtown Halloween Spooktacular | Court Square | Free |
| Oct 31 | Last day of the farmers market season | East Flaget St pavilion | Free to browse |
| Nov 19 | The Bardstown Collection release | Participating distilleries | Varies |
| Mid-November | “Merry & Bright” Christmas tours begin | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Nov 27, 6-8 p.m. | Light Up Bardstown, 16th year | Court Square | Free |
October is the month to plan hardest. The Arts & Crafts Festival draws more than 30,000 visitors on a single weekend, and the Ghost Trek adds a second walk at 8:30 p.m. on October Fridays and Saturdays. The Halloween and ghost walks guide has details on the Shadows tickets, which cover a hayride, a scare garden and s’mores as well as the house.
Winter: December 2026 to February 2027
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu Dec 3 | Kiwanis Christmas Parade, “Wrapped in Christmas Magic” | Downtown, music on Court Square first | Free |
| Dec 4-19, 6-9 p.m. | An Old Kentucky Christmas Carol, musical | My Old Kentucky Home | Ticketed |
| Dec 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 | Santa Claus Express, 1.5-hour train ride | Kentucky Railway Museum, New Haven | $28 |
| Early December (expect) | Christmas Carnival on the park grounds | My Old Kentucky Home | Check the park |
| Early January (expect) | Last “Merry & Bright” Christmas tours (ran to Jan 4 last season) | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Jan 2-Mar 15 (expect) | Winter mansion schedule, Wednesday to Sunday only | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
In 2025 the parade started with music on Court Square at 5 p.m. and stepped off at 6 p.m., which is a good guide for 2026. There is no citywide New Year’s Eve event to plan around, so treat the holiday as a nice dinner downtown rather than a festival. The Christmas in Bardstown guide covers the whole season. January and February are the quietest months of the year. January highs average 43°F, and distillery tours and B&B rooms are at their easiest to book.
Spring: March to May 2027
Spring 2027 dates are not out yet. These are the 2026 dates, and the pattern tends to repeat.
| 2026 date | Event | Where | Cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14 | Princess Tea Party | My Old Kentucky Home | $30 each |
| Mar 20-Apr 5 | “Meadows in the Bloom” Easter-themed tours | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Apr 17-May 17 | “The Race Is On!” Kentucky Derby exhibit | My Old Kentucky Home | Mansion admission |
| Apr 18 | “Echoes Through Time” living history | Civil War Museum, 310 E Broadway | Museum event |
| Mid-April | Farmers market opens (Tue, Fri, Sat mornings) | 200 E Flaget St | Free to browse |
| May 3 | My Old Kentucky Barbeque, post-Derby party | My Old Kentucky Home | Ticketed |
| May | BloomFest | Bernheim Forest, near Clermont | Check Bernheim |
| May to October | Concert season at The Amp at Log Still | Gethsemane | Ticketed |
| Late May | Free Friday concerts begin (May 22 in 2026) | Bardstown Community Park | Free |
The spring in Bardstown guide covers the Easter and Derby-season extras.
Summer: June to August 2027
| 2026 date | Event | Where | Cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 13 opening | The Stephen Foster Story, 67th season, 8 p.m. shows | J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre | Adults $28 plus $4 fee |
| June 14-21 | National Bourbon Week, opening on National Bourbon Day | Downtown and distilleries | Event by event |
| June 20, 6-11 p.m. | Bourbon City Street Concert | North Third Street | Free |
| June to August | Live at the Park tribute concerts, six dates | J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre | $30-$34 |
| July 3 and 4 | Parade, then July 4 fireworks after the Stephen Foster Story | Downtown and the state park | Free to watch |
| July 13-18 | Nelson County Fair, 6-11 p.m. | Fairgrounds, 2389 New Haven Rd | Check the fair |
| Fridays to Aug 28 | Free Summer Concert Series, 7 p.m. | Bardstown Community Park | Free |
| Aug 27-29 | Buttermilk Days Festival, 32nd year | 400 block of S. 3rd St | Check the festival |
National Bourbon Week’s 2027 dates are still to be announced on nationalbourbonweek.com, but it opens on June 14, National Bourbon Day. For the full summer picture, see summer in Bardstown and the summer concerts guide.
What is already set for 2027
Only a few 2027 dates are fixed so far, but they are the ones that matter most for booking:
| 2027 date | Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 16-19 | Kentucky Bourbon Festival | Announced by the festival |
| Oct 9-10 | Arts & Crafts Festival | Expected (it keeps to the second weekend of October) |
| Fri Nov 26 | Light Up Bardstown | Expected (the Friday after Thanksgiving) |
| Thu Dec 2 | Kiwanis Christmas Parade | Expected (the first Thursday of December) |
For the 2027 Bourbon Festival, 2026 tickets went on sale to newsletter subscribers on April 13 and to the public on April 14, so expect another spring release. Book your room the day you buy tickets.
Every-week regulars
Some things happen on repeat, so they are easy to fold into any trip:
- The Bardstown Farmers Market runs Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings from mid-April to October 31, with a record 25 vendors in 2026.
- The Stephen Foster Story plays evenings at 8 p.m. through the summer season.
- The Old Talbott Tavern’s bourbon bar has live music most Friday and Saturday evenings, generally 7-11 p.m.
- The Bardstown Ghost Trek walks Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., weather permitting.
- The Amp at Log Still books concerts nearly every weekend from May to October.
Check the organizer before you go
Small-town dates move, and third-party calendars lag. Go straight to the source:
- Downtown street events (the Arts & Crafts Festival, Light Up Bardstown, the Spooktacular, the Bourbon City Street Concert): Bardstown Main Street.
- Anything at Federal Hill (exhibits, Shadows, Christmas tours): the park’s event calendar.
- Amphitheater shows and concerts: stephenfoster.com, box office 502-348-5971.
- The Bourbon Festival: kybourbonfestival.com.
- The fair and Buttermilk Days: nelsoncofair.com and buttermilkdaysfestival.com.
- Everything else: the Visit Bardstown office inside the old courthouse at 1 Court Square, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., (502) 348-4877. Weekend hours vary, so call ahead.
Then check the weather. September and October are the driest, mildest months, and May is the wettest, which matters for anything held on a lawn. The weather by month page has the full table.
