Louisville Unleashed: A Queer Weekend of Bourbon, Brunch, and Bold History

Louisville, Kentucky might not be the first city that pops into your head when you think of queer travel, but trust me—this Southern gem is serving up a weekend getaway that’s equal parts glam, grit, and gay. From drag brunches that rival any other to bourbon tastings on historic Whiskey Row, Louisville is a city that knows how to celebrate Pride with flavor and flair.

The Kentuckiana Pride Festival was on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at the Big Four Lawn on Waterfront Park, aligning with the traditional time for other Prides across the nation. What Instinct attended this year was the second event on the Louisville Pride calendar, but many state the Louisville Pride Festival is the largest LGBTQ event in Kentucky each year.

Louisville Pride Foundation did it up y’all as we were meeted and greeted southern hospitality style for our first visit to Louisville.

Louisville Pride Festival Turns 10: Get Ready to Celebrate “Decades of Resistance & Hope!”

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 6th as Louisville Pride returns bigger and better than ever for its 10th anniversary! Join us on Bardstown Road from 11am to 10pm for a FREE day of community, celebration, and LGBTQ+ pride.

This year’s theme, “Decades: Resistance and Hope Through The Years,” honors the incredible journey of our community. We’ll come together to recognize our past struggles, celebrate our resilience, and look forward to a future filled with hope and equality.

Pulling into the Highlands, we knew we were in a great spot to let our Pride flag fly. But just don’t take our word for it. Make sure you visit gotolouisville.com’s LGBTQ page as they highlight it all. But we’ll add to their info with our own recommendations below.

Stay: The Myriad Hotel – Boutique Meets Bold

Nestled in the Highlands neighborhood, The Myriad Hotel is more than just a place to crash—it’s a vibe. We knew this was the gay place to be as while we were checking in, the gayness was palpable. Handsome men playing scrabble in the lobby, couples checking in, and of course reading the history of the building sealed the deal.

The Myriad Hotel resides in a historic renovation of a former disco ball factory and telephone company in Louisville Kentucky’s bustling Highlands neighborhood. With guest rooms flowing seamlessly into outdoor spaces with fire pits, a saltwater swimming pool and three distinctive restaurants, bars and lounges, we’re the ideal home base for Louisville bourbon-tasting tours, romantic getaways, sightseers and groups looking to experience the area’s many fun things to do.

With its sleek design, in-house coffee bar (Switchboard), and proximity to all things fabulous, it’s the perfect home base for your Louisville adventure. The rooms are modern and cozy, the staff is welcoming, and the location? Prime. You’re steps away from queer history, nightlife, and some of the best bites in town. And when we stay steps away, literally a 5 minute walk, if that, to the first gay bar and to where the festival was being held. Can we come back next year, please?

Taste: Pride Plates & Queer History Tour

To start off the gayness of the weekend we signed up for a tour! If you’re a foodie with a side of history buff, the Pride Plates Tour by Louisville Food Tours is a must. This walking tour through the Highlands and Cherokee Triangle blends classic Kentucky cuisine—think fried chicken, spoonbread, and the iconic Hot Brown—with stories of Louisville’s LGBTQ+ trailblazers. Don’t know about Louisville gay history or what spoonbread is? Go on the tour! We had an amazing time with our tour guide on the must be 21 tour (we drank, indeed we did) and had some fun bites that we had never eaten before and we’ve been around!

We sipped cocktails (mocktails was an option) while learning about Black Prohibition-era drag queens, queer poets, and activists who shaped the city’s vibrant community. The tour ended at one of Louisville’s best gay bars, so the party didn’t stop when the history lesson did which was fine by us.

Come on the tour with an empty stomach, liver, and mind and all will be filled. And it’s more of a hop, skip, and a jump around Highlands so don’t worry if you’re not too mobile as the walking was very very minimal as everything was so close.

Sip: Bourbon & Glamour on Whiskey Row

No trip to Louisville is complete without a bourbon experience, and the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience delivers. Located on historic Whiskey Row, this distillery tour is equal parts educational and intoxicating.

We had a couple of tastings along the tour mixed with many stories about bourbon, bourbon production, the history of the city, and we might have bought a bottle to take home.

Drag & Dine: Le Moo Drag Brunch

Named one of the top drag brunches in the country, Le Moo Drag Brunch at Le Moo is where glam queens meet gourmet plates. Drag in a Kentucky Steakhouse? Why yes indeed! The performances are fierce, the crowd is fabulous, and the adult beverage pours are generous. Whether you’re nursing a hangover or just living your best brunch life, this is a Louisville tradition you don’t want to miss.

Once again, eat the local food, tip the local queens, and make friends while enjoying one of the best drag shows we’ve seen in quite some time. Check out the calendar as they do have some theme days/performances as the time we were there was Chappell Roan and Pop Divas.

Celebrate: Louisville Pride Festival

Held on Bardstown Road, the center of the Highlands, the Louisville Pride Festival was a free, open-air celebration of LGBTQ+ joy. This year’s theme, “Decades: Resistance and Hope Through The Years,” honors the community’s journey with music, art, and activism. Between walking up and down Bardstown, we hopped into the VIP tent a couple of times and enjoyed some food and drinks and a good view of the main stage for all of the performances.

No, I have not been to Market Days in Chicago, but many stated this event is like Market Days South, with booths filled with community groups, vendors, food offerings, crafts, performance stages, and yes, one booth was even doing haircuts and I jumped at that chance. They were collecting donations for and LGBTQ charity, like many other booths.

Along Bardstown, there were two always gay bars open and another that used to be uber gay but hosted Miami drag queens for a free show for the attendees. We walked away mid show as we wanted to see the other performances occurring as there was much to see all over.

Explore: Art Festival and a Museum Hotel

Even if you’re not staying there, the 21C Museum Hotel is worth a visit. This boutique hotel doubles as a contemporary art museum, featuring provocative installations and an award-winning restaurant, Proof on Main. It’s a perfect stop between bourbon tastings and dinner.

For other art, we went down to the Big Four Arts Festival at Big Four Lawn on Waterfront Park. It only happens once a year and if you’re in town, it’s worth it to attend.

The Big Four Arts Festival has been the most attended (20,000) two-day Event ever held in Louisville at Waterfront Park on the Big Four Bridge Lawn. The weekend following Labor Day, the 10th annual festival, September 12th & 13th 2026, will be held on the lawn which consists of four acres of tree-lined walks overlooking the Ohio River, located at the Big 4 Walking Bridge.

We met many creative and talented individuals from all over the nation selling their goods. Good thing we were driving as we did bring some extra things home.

Dine: The Original Hot Brown

We completed our Louisville trip with dinner at the iconic Brown Hotel Lobby Bar, birthplace of the legendary Hot Brown sandwich. The Georgian Revival architecture and English Renaissance interior set the mood, made us feel a little royal, as we drank and dined on some great offerings.

Why Louisville?

Louisville is a city that surprises you—in the best way. It’s rich in queer history, bursting with culinary creativity, and unapologetically proud of who they are, where they are, and what they have to offer. Whether you’re here for the bourbon, the drag, or the stories that shaped a community, Louisville welcomes you with open arms and a cocktail in hand.

So pack your sass, your appetite, and your rainbow gear. Louisville is calling—and it’s fabulous.

And do a side trip to visit Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum.