Summer in Bardstown means evenings outdoors. The Stephen Foster Story, Kentucky’s longest-running outdoor drama, plays under the trees at My Old Kentucky Home from June into August, and the Fourth of July ends with fireworks after the show. Free concerts fill Bardstown Community Park every Friday night from late May to late August. Days are hot (July highs average about 87°F), so tour distilleries at midday and save the outdoor stuff for after dark. The 2026 season is over. Here is what to expect in summer 2027.
The Stephen Foster Story
The show has been staged every summer since 1959. Wikipedia’s park article calls it “the longest running outdoor drama in the state of Kentucky,” and it tells the life of the Pennsylvania-born songwriter through roughly 50 of his songs across about two hours. It plays at the J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre inside the state park, a short walk from Federal Hill, the Rowan family mansion the state dedicated as My Old Kentucky Home on July 4, 1923.
The 2026 season was the 67th. It opened June 13 with four new principal actors, after a free “Lights Up” sensory-friendly performance on June 12. The Stephen Foster Drama Association also staged the Broadway musical Annie on Wednesdays and Fridays from July 8. All evening shows start at 8 p.m., and seating opens 45 minutes before.
| Ticket (2026) | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $28 |
| Seniors | $25 |
| Children 6-12 | $15 |
| Children 2-5 | $9 |
| Groups of 15+ adults | $25 each |
| Season pass (Foster Story, the musical, 5 concerts) | $180 |
Every ticket carries a $4 processing and facility fee, and seats are reserved. There are no refunds, but exchanges are allowed. Military, AAA and Nelson County resident discounts are handled by phone through the box office at 502-348-5971. The 2027 season will be announced on stephenfoster.com, and if the pattern holds it will open in mid-June. Our Stephen Foster Story guide goes deeper on seats and what the show covers.
Tip: do the mansion tour at Federal Hill in the afternoon ($18 for adults, on the hour until 4 p.m.), eat dinner downtown, then drive back for the 8 p.m. curtain. Bring bug spray and a light layer for when the sun goes down.
June: bourbon week and a street party
June opens with National Bourbon Week, which starts on National Bourbon Day, June 14. The 2026 edition ran June 14-21 with distillery dinners, limited releases, master-distiller panels and blending classes. It is a quieter, cheaper alternative to September’s festival, with more distillery-hosted exclusives. Watch nationalbourbonweek.com for the 2027 dates.
The same week, North Third Street closes for the free Bourbon City Street Concert (June 20 in 2026, 6-11 p.m.), with a kids’ zone and bourbon sampling for the 21-and-over crowd. The ticketed Live at the Park tribute concerts at the amphitheater start in early June too. The summer concerts guide has the full music lineup.
July: fireworks, then the fair
Bardstown’s Fourth of July centers on the state park. In 2026, “Red, White & Bardstown” held a parade on Friday, July 3, and an evening of festivities at My Old Kentucky Home on July 4, with fireworks after The Stephen Foster Story. Stephen Foster was born on July 4, 1826, so the date is his birthday as well. Details are on the Fourth of July page.
The Nelson County Fair follows in mid-July (July 13-18 in 2026) at the fairgrounds on New Haven Road, with a BullWhip Rodeo, pageants, livestock and a midway that opens at 6 p.m. See the Nelson County Fair and Buttermilk Days guide.
August: Buttermilk Days and the last concerts
Late August closes out the season. Buttermilk Days brings live music and southern food to the 400 block of South Third Street (August 27-29 in 2026, its 32nd year). The free Friday series in Bardstown Community Park wraps up at the end of August. In 2026 the finale was August 28.
National Bourbon Week up close
If bourbon is part of your summer plan, aim for mid-June. National Bourbon Week began in 2024 and is organized by Bardstown’s distilleries, downtown merchants and the Bourbon Capital Alliance with the county tourism office. The 2025 edition packed in 38 events plus special bottle releases, and the 2026 edition drew visitors from 37 states. Partner distilleries include Heaven Hill, Lux Row, Preservation, Old Steelhouse, Barton, Log Still, Limestone Branch, Maker’s Mark and Beam. In 2026 Heaven Hill opened the week on June 14 with an Elijah Craig celebration at its Bourbon Experience. Tickets are sold event by event, so you can do one dinner or a whole week.
Saturday mornings at the market
The Bardstown Farmers Market is at its fullest in summer. A record 25 vendors (in 2026) set up at the East Flaget Street pavilion on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 7:30 a.m. until about noon, selling produce, eggs, honey, plants, flowers and baked goods. Go early, before the heat and before the best tomatoes go. It is a short walk from Court Square, so pair it with breakfast downtown. Our farmers market page has the details.
Beating the heat
Summer here is properly hot. NOAA’s 1991-2020 normals put the average high at 83.6°F in June, 86.6°F in July and 86.2°F in August, and humid afternoons. A few ways to plan around it:
- Do outdoor walking early. Downtown’s brick sidewalks and Court Square are best before 11 a.m.
- Book distillery tours for midday. Most tours move between air-conditioned visitor centers and rickhouses, which stay cooler than the outside air.
- Use the free Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History in Spalding Hall as an air-conditioned break.
- Stay somewhere with a pool. The Trail Hotel and Bardstown Motor Lodge both have seasonal pools.
- Drink water between tastings, and never drive after them. Heat and bourbon hit harder together.
Summer with kids
Summer is the family season in Bardstown. Children 6-12 pay $15 at the Foster Story, and children 5 and under tour the mansion free. The free Friday concerts are lawn-chair affairs where kids can move around, and the Bardstown Farmers Market runs Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings. Twenty minutes south in New Haven, the Kentucky Railway Museum runs excursion trains. Our Bardstown with kids guide has more ideas.
Where to stay
The state park campground is closed for a rebuild with no reopening date, so campers use the private parks in town instead (see camping and RV parks). For a walk to the amphitheater, the Old Bardstown Inn sits directly across from the park entrance, with rooms from $84.99. Summer weekends with a show and a concert on the calendar fill faster than weekdays, so book a few weeks ahead for July.
