The Kentucky Bourbon Festival turns 35 this year, with a new Speakeasy lounge, a Jim Gaffigan fireside chat, and single barrels everywhere you look. We rounded up the parties, the pours, and the parking headaches, so you can spend less time scrambling and more time drinking.

Distilleries jockeyed for headlines, unveiling new releases, launching new brands, and—most dramatically—Heaven Hill returned to making Bourbon in Bardstown. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival isn’t just a local event anymore; it’s a tentpole moment on the whiskey calendar.