Railbird 2024 photos: What we saw, heard and ate on Day 1
Get your dancing shoes on, Kentucky: Railbird has returned.
Saturday marks the start to Year 4 of the two-day Lexington weekend of good music, big crowds, early-summer fashion and plenty of food, fun, dancing.
And long lines at bathrooms.
This is Railbird’s second trip to Red Mile (2019 and 2022 were held at Keeneland) and most attendees have come to know what to expect: Large crowds, a bit of traffic and familiar bands and some under-the-radar groups aiming to crack the big time.
The headliners, Noah Kahan and Turnpike Troubadours will close out Day One Saturday evening.
Turnpike Troubadours will hit the Elkhorn stage at 8:15 p.m. while Noah Kahan will be on the Limestone stage at 9:30 p.m.
Day 2’s lineup looks great, too, with Hozier and Chris Stapleton.
As thousands poured into Red Mile, the Herald-Leader was there, too.
Here’s what we saw on Day One.
Smooth start to the day
While the road traffic might have been a different story, foot traffic leading into the festival was a smooth affair.
“Walking in, it looks really organized,” Trace Phillips said.
Phillips is a brand-new Kentucky native who moved just a few days ago. He said he’s been planning on attending for the last few months.
Herald-Leader staff made it through the gates in about 20 minutes.
It will be Taylor Sandusky’s third year attending Railbird and said, based on what she’s seen so far, the festival is on track to replicate last year’s success.
“I think they did a really great job last year,” she said. “It was an improvement from the year before when they had some issues. It’s a great lineup.”
Hungry? You’ve got 34 options
The festival offers 34 different food and drink options during the weekend, with a host of vegan and vegetarian options, such as Dragon Ban Mi’s Vegan Mushroom Ban Mi.
Multiple organizations have specials going on for Railbird attendees, including a free Jersey Mike’s sub and towel for those who download the app and display it at the southwest-located tent.
Justin’s House of Bourbon has exclusive single barrels at its tent in the Bourbon Hideout. In addition to its notable Four Roses and Green River, it crafted a Railbird exclusive small batch with samples available to attendees 21 and older.
What did we like best?
Reporter Caroline Makauskas knows her sports, with most of her time spent on the UK women’s basketball beat.
But a big chunk of Saturday was spent surveying (and sampling) the festival food scene.
What were her favorites?
“Hands down, shrimp tempura, spring rolls and vegan mushroom bahn mi from Dragon Bahn Mi,” she said.
“The guy working the counter told me they thought they’d bring something different and refreshing to the Railbird food options. And he’s right. The ingredients are fresh, the pickled vegetables have a great crunch and acidity, and the roll is soft with a great aroma.”
And washing it all down?
“I’m a coffee fiend,” Caroline said. “But the cold brew from Chaotic Coffee (just $6) is the best money I’ve spent so far. Great deep flavor (and a) healthy serving size.”
No heat, but bracing for rain
We saw lots of rain jackets and ponchos as fans prepared for potential evening sprinkles.
But nobody seemed to be complaining. Water, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray were big items for fans as they walked into Red Mile.
“Cold water and ibuprofen,” Cathy Vittitow said as she walked up to the festival entrance, holding up her festival bag.
Vittitow has been attending concerts and festivals with her friend Gina Dulsky for 30 years and has attended all four versions of Railbird.
A few raindrops were felt around 3 p.m. but nothing significant followed.
What were they wearing?
Cowboy boots and hats are the dominant fashion trend of the day, but long, flowing dresses and shirts are a hit, too.
Ponchos could quickly become more popular if the rain continues to build.
South Carolina band draws crowd
The Marcus King Band had folks swaying, singing and kicking up their heels.
The Southern rock and blues band drew the day’s biggest crowd thus far, especially with their cover of Kentucky-born Tyler Childers’ “Shake the Frost.”
Rain sends crowd scurrying
Around 7 p.m, the rain finally came, and festival-goers sprinted for cover under the Burl Stage.
Others stuck it out, donning rain coats and ponchos.
“Crowds are still having a good time,” said our reporter, Monica Kast. “Lots of ponchos and rain jackets!”
Longest lines? Merch tent
Did you grab your Noah Kahan shirt? It’s looking like a lot of you did.
“So far, the longest lines I’ve seen have been at the merch tent,” Monica reports. “There are basically no lines for water, although lines for food and other drinks are a little slower.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2024 at 4:45 PM.
