Louder Than Life is a rock/heavy metal festival that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The event is known to also feature whiskey, craft beer, gourmet food and multiple exhibits. It has made a large economic impact on the city of Louisville.
History The first Louder Than Life was a two-day festival hosted at Champions Park in 2014.
The 2015 festival also featured live matches between wrestlers from WWE's NXT brand.
In 2018 the festival was canceled due to continuing rain and deteriorating conditions at Champions Park.
The festival was expanded to three days in 2019 and moved to Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center to prevent flooding.
The 2020 festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021 the festival was expanded to four days.
2024 celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the festival with a record 140+ bands, including the reuniting of Slayer after a five-year retirement. However, due to weather conditions caused by Hurricane Helene, Louder Than Life canceled their Friday shows, which included Slayer in the line-up. On October 3, Louder Than Life announced that ticket holders for Friday and 4-days will be offered an exclusive invite to see Slayer at the Aftershock Festival on October 10. On October 30, Danny Wimmer Presents announced that Slayer would return for 2025. Friday and 4 day ticket holders for 2024 would also have the option to receive a partial refund or a credit towards 2025 festival passes.
During the second day of Louder Than Life in 2026, a woman from Tennessee was paralyzed from the waist down after a man fell off a tree, landing on her. Knocked Loose, who was performing as the injury happened, donated $8,000 to the woman, and no criminal investigation was launched.
Estimated yearly attendance 2014: 36,000 2015: 50,000 2016: 50,000 2017: 60,000 2019: 128,000 2021: 160,000 2022: 170,000 2023: 180,000 2024: 150,000 2025: 240,000 2026: 265,000
Lineups 2014
Saturday, October 4 Judas Priest Korn Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington Limp Bizkit Alter Bridge Mastodon Theory of a Deadman Of Mice and Men Steel Panther Memphis May Fire Pop Evil Fuel Otherwise Thousand Foot Krutch Nonpoint Wilson Flaw
Sunday, October 5 Kid Rock Papa Roach Five Finger Death Punch Volbeat A Day to Remember Bring Me the Horizon Buckcherry In This Moment Hellyeah Chiodos Motionless in White Nothing More Butcher Babies Crobot Avatar Monster Truck Islander
2015
Saturday, October 3 Rob Zombie Godsmack Chevelle Seether Sevendust Tremonti Bring Me the Horizon Of Mice and Men Hollywood Undead Atreyu Issues 10 Years Butcher Babies Starset Beartooth Art of Dying Turbowolf Dorothy Jelly Roll Cliver Romantic Rebel RavenEye WWE NXT
Sunday, October 4 ZZ Top Lynyrd Skynyrd Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators Breaking Benjamin Shinedown 3 Doors Down Collective Soul Hinder Saint Asonia Black Stone Cherry Skid Row Kentucky Headhunters We Came as Romans Nothing More We Are Harlot Aranda Like a Storm The Temperance Movement The Glorious Sons Kill It Kid Marmozets Red Sun Rising All Them Witches Whiskey Myers Goodbye June WWE NXT
2016
Saturday, October 1 Avenged Sevenfold Slayer The Cult I Prevail Pierce the Veil Cheap Trick Anthrax Hellyeah Chevy Metal Motionless in White The Amity Affliction Avatar Sick Puppies Neck Deep Young Guns Being As An Ocean '68 Twelve Foot Ninja Dinosaur Pile-Up
Sunday, October 2 Slipknot Disturbed Korn Alter Bridge Ghost Clutch Sevendust Pop Evil Biffy Clyro Parkway Drive Skillet Trivium Zakk Sabbath (Black Sabbath cover band with Zakk Wylde) Kyng Skindred Adelitas Way Crobot Sabaton Smashing Satellites
2017
Saturday, September 30 Ozzy Osbourne featuring Zakk Wylde Rob Zombie Hollywood Undead Five Finger Death Punch Halestorm For We Are Many Of Mice and Men Sleeping with Sirens Mastodon Gojira Eagles of Death Metal Starset New Years Day Palisades Steel Panther Fire From the Gods Through Fire He Is Legend Ded
Sunday, October 1 Prophets of Rage Rise Against Incubus Stone Sour Falling in Reverse Beartooth Joyous Wolf Nothing More The Pretty Reckless Greta Van Fleet Black Map In This Moment Lacuna Coil Radkey Ocean Grove '68 Biters
2019 Die Antwood were scheduled to play on Sunday, but were removed after footage from 2012 surfaced online of members Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Yolandi Visser getting in physical altercation, with Visser saying a homophobic slur.
Friday, September 27 Slipknot Staind A Day to Remember Chevelle Gwar I Prevail Architects Beartooth Motionless in White Phil Anselmo (performing with his band Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals). Wilson The Crystal Method Graveyard Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes New Years Day All Them Witches Crown Lands Joyous Wolf Dead Posey Santa Cruz
Saturday, September 28 Guns N' Roses Ice Cube Godsmack Stone Temple Pilots Suicidal Tendencies Halestorm Dropkick Murphys Melvins Andrew W.K. Badflower Knocked Loose Anti-Flag Redd Kross Parlor Mob Like A Storm Jelly Roll Dirty Honey Ded Junkbunny The Pink Slips
Sunday, September 29 Rob Zombie Marilyn Manson Disturbed Breaking Benjamin Sum 41 Three Days Grace In This Moment Deadland Ritual White Reaper Demon Hunter Ho99o9 Angel Dust Sick Puppies Amigo the Devil Fire From the Gods Broken Hands Anemic Royalty
2021 Breaking Benjamin were added on September 21, 2021, as replacements for Mudvayne, who cancelled their performance due to Chad Gray and some staff members contracting COVID-19. Disturbed replaced Nine Inch Nails for the Saturday headliner spot.
Thursday, September 23 Korn Staind Cypress Hill Anthrax Beartooth Sevendust Knocked Loose Wage War Memphis May Fire Escape the Fate Zero 9:36 Avoid Currents Jeris Johnson Another Day Dawns Blame My Youth
Friday, September 24 Metallica Jane's Addiction Rise Against Gojira Killswitch Engage Starset Avatar Fever 333 Turnstile Cleopatrick Dead Sara '68 The Violent South of Eden Tallah Joyous Wolf Contracult Collective
Saturday, September 25 Disturbed Machine Gun Kelly Volbeat Falling in Reverse Suicidal Tendencies Asking Alexandria Atreyu Grandson Code Orange Ice Nine Kills Spiritbox Red Butcher Babies Bones UK Diamante Siiickbrain UnityTX Dana Dentata The Messenger Birds
Sunday, September 26 Metallica Judas Priest Breaking Benjamin Seether Pennywise Skillet Sabaton The Hu Badflower Tremonti Fozzy Every Time I Die Ayron Jones From Ashes to New Teenage Wrist Dead Poet Society Like Machines
2022
Thursday, September 22 Nine Inch Nails Bring Me the Horizon Evanescence Halestorm Tenacious D Yungblud Highly Suspect Ministry Nothing More Spiritbox Apocalyptica Ho99o9 New Years Day Lilith Czar Dorothy Plush Maggie Lindemann Taipei Houston Royal & the Serpent Giovannie and the Hired Guns The Dead Deads Mothica Superbloom Eva Under Fire Archers Nail Bite Asava Two Sides of Me Magg Dylan
Friday, September 23 Slipknot Shinedown Lamb of God Mastodon In This Moment Meshuggah Clutch Gwar In Flames Baroness Helmet Crown the Empire Poorstacy Amigo the Devil Ded All Good Things Vended Mike's Dead Suicide Silence Orbit Culture The Luka State Ego Kill Talent Aeir Archetypes Collide Until I Wake Befell Young Other The Dev The 500 Block Thirst
Saturday, September 24 Kiss Rob Zombie Alice Cooper Chevelle Ghostemane Jerry Cantrell Body Count Theory of a Deadman Sevendust Pop Evil We Came as Romans Airbourne Cherry Bombs Ill Nino Tetrarch D.R.U.G.S. Redlight King Wargasm Trash Boat The Alive Solence Dropout Kings Bloodywood Widow7 Scarlet O'hara Silly Goose Sevven Breed
Sunday, September 25 Red Hot Chili Peppers Alice in Chains Incubus Papa Roach The Pretty Reckless Bad Religion Action Bronson Jelly Roll The Struts Dirty Honey Anti-Flag The Joy Formidable Bayside Oxymorrons Carolesdaughter The Warning Radkey The Native Howl Shaman's Harvest Joey Valence & Brae Lines of Loyalty Heartsick Normundy As You Were The Strangers
2023
Thursday, September 21 Foo Fighters Weezer Rancid 311 Coheed and Cambria Royal Blood Code Orange White Reaper L7 Deafheaven Nothing But Thieves Movements The Bronx Nothing,Nowhere Oliver Anthony Mannequin Pussy Beauty School Dropout Pinkshift Kid Kapichi Starcrawler Starbenders Kyng Tigercub SeeYouSpaceCowboy Guerrilla Warfare Asava From Ashes to Embers Sueco Nvrless Traverse the Abyss Nail Bite
Friday, September 22 Tool Godsmack Limp Bizkit Megadeth Corey Taylor Dance Gavin Dance Bad Omens Wage War Avatar Fever 333 Kittie Enter Shikari Miss May I Fame on Fire Wargasm Oliver Anthony Flat Black Austin Meade SiM Tallah Ten56. Hanabie Gnome Fox Lake Widow7 Luna Aura Raven Gray Foxbat Capra Major Moment
Saturday, September 23 Avenged Sevenfold Pantera Falling in Reverse Pierce the Veil Parkway Drive Babymetal Asking Alexandria Dethklok The Hu The Amity Affliction Memphis May Fire Suicide Silence Sleep Token Whitechapel Zero 9:36 Kim Dracula Gideon Strange Kids Dragged Under Jesus Piece Afterlife Another Day Dawns Ithaca Devil's Cut Reach NYC Silly Goose Feast For the Crows Dissonation Kissing Candice Deadlands CZYK Dead//Water
Sunday, September 24 Green Day Queens of the Stone Age Turnstile Run the Jewels Flogging Molly The Interrupters Awolnation Rival Sons Billy Talent Mayday Parade Rain City Drive Senses Fail Viagra Boys Boston Manor DeathbyRomy Jehnny Beth The Emo Night Tour Call Me Karizma Sleep Theory Thousand Below Holy Wars Reddstar Letdown. As You Were Death Valley Dreams JVK Archers Over the Moon HXLA Two Sides of Me
2024 Falling in Reverse was scheduled to play on Saturday, but pulled out due to travel delays. Till Lindemann, who was scheduled to play Friday, took their place. The second day of Louder Than Life was canceled due to weather conditions caused by Hurricane Helene. Various artists who were scheduled to play Friday played pop up shows at local bars and clubs around Louisville. 2024 also scheduled bands to play post festival shows at the fifteenTwelve club.
Thursday, September 26 Slipknot Five Finger Death Punch The Offspring Seether Halestorm Sum 41 Highly Suspect Badflower Starset Marky Ramone PUP Saosin Brutus Bob Vylan Slothrust Dead Poet Society Militarie Gun Fit For A King The Warning Point North Holding Absence Finger Eleven Orgy D.R.U.G.S. Soulglo Kneecap Reach NYC Teen Mortgage Touché Amoré Deadlands Jigsaw Youth Mike's Dead Blame My Youth Budderside
Friday, September 27 Slayer Till Lindemann Anthrax Sevendust Black Stone Cherry Nonpoint New Years Day Evanescence In This Moment Clutch Fozzy From Ashes to New Alien Ant Farm Like a Storm Tom Morello Grandson Show Me the Body Set It Off The Chisel Powerman 5000 Adema Lorna Shore Fugitive Whitechapel Holy Fawn Gel Return to Dust Silly Goose Juliette and the Licks Ho99o9 High Vis Ekho Caskets Jager Henry
Saturday, September 28 Mötley Crüe Disturbed Till Lindemann Chevelle Dropkick Murphys Mastodon Skillet Body Count Nothing More Sleeping with Sirens Filter Three 6 Mafia L.S. Dunes CKY P.O.D. Joey Valence & Brae The Armed UnityTX Better Lovers Health Lilith Czar Tim Montana Local H Tantric Ill Niño Damnage Citizen Soldier The Funeral Portrait Any Given Sin Dying Oath Lowlives
Sunday, September 29 Korn Judas Priest Breaking Benjamin Staind Gojira Architects Spiritbox Jinjer Silent Planet Poppy Eagles of Death Metal Biohazard Polaris Saliva Drug Church Narrow Head Drowning Pool Taproot Sponge Red Oxymorrons Hed PE