I will be sure to visit every time they have an event like this!! I loved to experience all these…read morebusinesses I had no idea about! These businesses are local and offer products that are right up my alley! Local farms with grass fed beef and options that are better than what we have at those commercial chains. I walked away with 5 different kinds of meat, info on my newest probiotic drink, and lots of vitamin D because it's a perfect day! Yelp was here and with a check in you earn a few reusable grocery bag. This came in great use today! I will keep this bag in my trunk to use when I attend other events like this. This was my first time at this venue and I have to say I love the open are courtyard feel! Looks like a fun place to visit in evenings too! Will be back soon for a tour!

Wow. This was a great local event…read more My fiance and I were wasting time, I mean, spending time together before we had to tend to some wedding planning stuff and we found ourselves at Copper & Kings on a brisk Saturday afternoon. I had never been to Copper & Kings, I only called them once about their venue space and then stared longingly while shopping at Work the metal, so it was a two treats in one! The outside space was filled with booths and vendors, all local and mostly Butchertown based. The Yelp booth was ready to greet visitors handing out much needed gloves and sunglasses in trade for a check-in. You know we did it. There were food trucks and coffee, and ice cream, and beer and soda, and hot sauces & jams, and bacon, and tacos. The list is endless. We tend to 'split' things so we can try more of everything so we went all in. We stopped at Johnny's Diner Car where a friend of ours greeted us with a smile, and pork buns. Can you say OMG?! They were little steam buns packed with pork belly, bacon greens and pork rinds sprinkled on top... my mouth is watering thinking about them. We also got some truffle Parmesan fries which were fantastic as well. Our venturing then took us to the top part of the event where we met several locally owned establishments that were greeting us with samples and pamphlets. We couldn't try everything, but that didn't stop us from trying. We had two handmade sodas, a taco from Decca and we left with 2 scoops of icecream from Louisville Cream #savages, ha. Needless to say the event was fun and filling for a nice Saturday afternoon. We ended up walking off our splurges as we found ourselves at the Flea off Market for a pit stop and walk. But we will be back as long as Butchertown businesses are going, we will be there to support them. You should too!

The main appeal of an annual ticketed event like this one is to allow locals to sample from a…read morevariety of businesses in one evening. I tend to shy away from this sort of thing because they tend to be overwhelming, and having so many vendors makes it hard to leave with a clear impression of any in particular. Also, if you're looking to try a new restaurant, why not just read Yelp reviews? That said, I think Taste of 502 makes a good effort. Events like these can be variable, even from year to year. Will it be crowded? Is the price point reasonable? And will I even get enough to eat? Our experience this year was that it's a lot of fun. We were already familiar with most of the restaurants and shops, so we weren't just running around in a fog. And there was no danger of going home hungry. Even as the (reasonable-sized) crowds dissipated, most of the vendors still had plenty of food. Lines weren't much of a problem, and you can walk around without clutching your plate near your chest. And true to the local spirit, more than half the room was dedicated to sugar, fat, and alcohol. In short, it was at least as much fun as a standard night on the town would be, and a fine way to have a good time, all in the good name of community spirit. I may or may not return for this event, but I certainly will return to many of the eateries it showcases.

The 2016 Taste of 502 Event was fantastic! I had a blast. It's been a while since I've enjoyed…read moremyself so much. There were oodles of different food vendors with lots of things to try! An equal amount of food, drinks and desserts samples were present from what I could see. Wild Rita's had one of the tastiest desserts I tried. Shout out to Rye for their pork samples that were fabulous, and Cake flour for the a-mazing bourbon chocolate fudge brownies. There were pasta dishes, tons of savory treats, appetizers, salads, shrimp kaboobs, cookies, pie, cakes, ice cream, and brownie samples! And of course, a large variety of drink samples from wine to vodka mixes to bourbon. After being stuffed from trying all that food, we stopped to take a picture in the complimentary photo booth. Plenty of seating, easy to socialize, leave and join another table. It was crowded but not uncomfortable and vendors not difficult to access. It was a cool local event and fun getting to try out the treats of different businesses around Louisville. I definitely found 3 or 4 that I'm enthused to go visit. I look forward to attending this event again next year.

Wine on the River finally came back after many years of being gone from Louisville. My best friend…read moreand I went years ago before Covid happened and from my recollection, they haven't been in Louisville since before the Pandemic. This event goes around to other cities like Mobile, Memphis, etc. This time, this event was held at the Belvedere vs. River Road/Waterfront in previous years. We weren't complaining. There were many choices for Wine, Seltzers, Bourbon and whiskey. There were plenty of local distilleries at this festival however, there was little to no Kentucky based wines at this event like when we went years ago. It would've been nice to have some local wine vs. the big names here. We were impressed with the choices of Bourbon and whiskey. There were also very little food choices here as well, just a few food trucks, stands, charcuterie. There was a reserved VIP tent but, it had little choices as well. My Friend and I absolutely loved the Tito's and Cranberry drink that was an option. We had a grand time at this event and hopefully they return next year. It was the perfect fall weather and had a band playing outside. We will definitely be back if it is held next year, which hopefully they do. Hopefully they will have some more KY/IN based wines next year and more food choices, the only things they lacked. Wine On the River if you're seeing this, PLEASE come back next year.

Wine on the River is such an awesome event! It's held at the Big Four Lawn and attendees are able…read moreto drink tons of different wines and spirits, as well as try food available for purchase from restaurants, like Bourbon Raw. Last year I was able to try tons of stuff I hadn't had before, which is always a fun experience. Proceeds from the event go to help the Boys and Girls Haven, so it's lots of fun for a great cause. The event also has vendors set up throughout, as well as live music entertainment. If you're looking for a fun late summer/fall event, Wine on the River is a great one! Even if you're not a huge fan of wine, they have plenty of other spirits on tap, so go check it out!

I was a little skeptical when I saw that this market had an entrance fee (only $5), but this market…read morewas truly spectacular. I would gladly pay it again. Made Market was such a well curated collection of artisans and makers. And I spent more at this market compared to other, larger markets that have also taken place at the Mellwood Art Center. Also not helping my wallet ... the cash bar! I got a bloody mary, and while not large, it was STRONG. I blame it as well as the thoughtful curation for my dwindling funds. Made Market included shops that sold food, drinks, accessories, clothes, plants, art and more. I ended up getting some cute axolotl bookmarks for my kids, a T-shirt for me, a clay bowtie-pasta shaped ornament for my tree (totally a bloody mary-influenced purchase), a candle for my friend and two drink mixes that I've been enjoying so much since. One is a powdered holiday tea mix that I was convinced to buy after trying a sample, and the other was the Golden Milk Paste made by Superfood Veda. I'm glad Superfood Veda is a Louisville company because I know I'll be purchasing this again. The artisans all seemed to be regional, and I liked seeing some local favorites, like Anchal Project, mixed in with other makers who were new to me. Made Market also hosts experiences, like wreath making, for an additional cost. This was such a fun shopping event -- a holiday must-visit!

There are so many markets (with vendors selling their goods) out there, but you will not find one…read moremore highly curated than Made Market. Local and regional makers bring the goods for this market, which has been held at a variety of places. They typically do a summer market for a day and a holiday market for a day, so mark your calendar! Jams, succulents, artwork, greeting cards, jewelry, clothes, candles, housewares, and all sorts of things... Made Market has it. I love buying stuff for myself AND for loved ones. Keep an eye on their social media pages for dates and announcements. (Note: they currently do these in Louisville and in Grand Rapids, MI.)

This was the best fest we've been too all year! Very surprised there wasn't a yelp event for it!…read more SO TASTY! Ribs. Chicken. Venison. Pork. Beef. Sausages. Bacon wrapped everything. Ice cream. Drinks. The amount of talented cooks was amazing! I'm sure we gained weight that day from all the delicious selections. We were so full when we left we had to take a nap! Between firefighters and select restaurants the amount of free tastings was a sin. We had a favorite but unfortunately do not remember the firehouse. Please make sure to support this next year as we were 2 of the very few there. What a delicious event!

Another year and another 3 star review. Just like last year $90 for VIP and no swag bags…read more Basically just entrance into the museum and exclusive access to special pours. They also had the garden area closed off and there were tables and chairs out there. First time this year the garden area was closed. My friend and I have been coming here religiously since it began in 2021. It's always a good time no arguments there however, it seems to get smaller each year with not many local breweries in attendance. We are aware this festival is to benefit the museum. Just kinda wish they would put more effort into these type of things. There were quite a bit of big brand names there. We usually walk away with quite a big of swag but, there wasn't much of it this year as well. They had the marching band and a different band this year, they didn't perform on the balcony like the others had in years past, they performed on the street where the festival took place. We got our glasses and lanyards so they can mark our cards for the pours. Glad they actually put in effort for a new glass design. There were 2 bourbon pours exclusively for VIP. Peerless Distillery had to be our favorite. We went back a few times for the bourbon punch before they ran out. We did get to walk around in the museum and luckily had shelter in there from the rain. We actually had a great time as always, just wish they would put in more effort when it comes to VIP and bringing in more local breweries. Until Next Year Summer Beer fest.

Arcade expo is an event I look forward to every year. It's a nerd's paradise. I love how there is a…read morelarge variety of different games to play. They even have a station for Virtual Reality. I do like how they have a few booths so people have a chance to do some shopping. If you're 21 and older, the expo does provide 2 signature drinks. I recommend the Princess Peach. My only complaint is how the price literally doubled this year compared to last year. It only cost 20 dollars but this year it was 40. They didn't add anything extra to make up for the price increase. Besides the price increase I think everyone should go to Arcade Expo at least once

Last year was my first time attending the Louisville Arcade Expo and it was a blast! My boyfriend…read moreis really into video games and had raved about this event. It's located in the Ramada Inn's conference room and is an all weekend event. The space is nice if you are out of town, so then you can just stay in the hotel and already be by the venue, but it was just a wee bit cramped with how much they had in there. But there was a lot to check out, like local vendors, a pinball room, a TV gaming room, a stage with tournaments going on, and the main room filled with a bunch of different arcade games. We only went for one day, but I felt like that was enough for me to be able to do and see everything. The ticket prices we pretty inexpensive (It was around $15-$20, I can't remember exactly) and all of the games are freeplay. All of the games are pretty vintage, some even dating back to the 50's and 60's. Each day there is a different tournament going on, like a Super Smash Bros contest and Pinball tournament. They even had a DJ there that was playing some pretty good live music! If you're a nerd like myself and like to game, you definitely need to check out this event!

We had a great time at the city of Middletown police car show. This is the second annual, and even…read morethough it was not as large as the first one it's not their fault because the weather kept a lot of people away. But we had a great time my father and my daughter and I walked around, looking at all the cool cars and it went to a good foundation so you got like that.