Here’s the lineup for Railbird’s return to Lexington in 2023, this time at Red Mile

Zach Bryan and Kentucky-born Tyler Childers will headline Lexington’s 2023 Railbird Festival, which announced its two-day concert lineup Tuesday afternoon.

The festival is set for June 3 and 4, and will showcase 32 musical acts at The Infield at Red Mile, the historic harness racing track that is now also a gambling venue in Lexington.

Here’s the Railbird Festival 2023 lineup:

Railbird Festival 2023 music concert lineup

Saturday, June 3

  • Zach Bryan

  • Weezer

  • Marcus Mumford

  • Whiskey Myers

  • Sheryl Crow

  • Charley Crockett

  • Jenny Lewis

  • Lucius

  • Morgan Wade

  • Valerie June

  • Dehd

  • Neal Francis

  • The Heavy Heavy

  • Madeline Edwards

  • The Local Honeys

  • Wayne Graham

Sunday, June 4

  • Tyler Childers

  • Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

  • The Head and the Heart

  • Goose

  • Nickel Creek

  • Amos Lee

  • Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder

  • Sierra Ferrell

  • Charles Wesley Godwin

  • Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

  • 49 Winchester

  • Town Mountain

  • Cole Chaney

  • Flipturn

  • Calder Allen

  • Brit Taylor

Singer-songwriter Zach Bryan released his latest album, American Heartbreak, in May. The country artist served seven years in the U.S. Navy before his honorable discharge.

Tyler Childers’ newest album, “Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?,” is a three-disc set that “explores a set of spiritually inclined works through a trio of variations,” a September Herald-Leader review said. Childers has tour dates scheduled across the U.S. through September 2023.

Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers will headline the 2023 Railbird Festival at the Red Mile.
Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers will headline the 2023 Railbird Festival at the Red Mile.
Olivia Dunn, of Pennsylvania, reacts at Leon Bridges performs at the Railbird Festival at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021.
Olivia Dunn, of Pennsylvania, reacts at Leon Bridges performs at the Railbird Festival at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021.

Railbird moves from Keeneland to Redmile

The festival, which started in 2019, canceled its 2022 event at Keeneland in May, but announced it would return.

“The move just down the road to Red Mile, the nation’s second oldest track, signals exciting growth for Railbird Festival,” said Mary Quinn Ramer of VisitLEX said at the time. “Near the heart of downtown Lexington with easy accessibility, the historic Red Mile will keep the equine experience at the heart of the festival while also providing a great venue to showcase Kentucky’s bourbon heritage and the nation’s best artists.”

After a largely well-received inaugural year that saw 30,000 people attend at Keeneland, Railbird was canceled in 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic. The two-day festival returned last fall but ran into major trouble on the first day when patrons, who were prohibited from bringing in filled water bottles, waited in long lines in 90-degree heat at refill stations and bars.

Based on ticket sales, that 2021 event drew 70,000 attendees, according to previous Herald-Leader reports. It’s unclear how many will be able to comfortably fit onto the 114-acre Red Mile site.

How to buy Railbird tickets

The event’s ticket presale starts at noon Thursday, and single-day general admission starts at $99.

The two-day, three-stage festival takes its name from the term Railbird, which traditionally refers to a “horse racing enthusiast known for sticking close to the action, hanging on the rail as each contender comes barreling down the track,” according to the festival website.

Do you have a question about Lexington for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.

Advertisement