Old Forester's Paristown Hall Officially Opens

Representatives with The Kentucky Center and Old Forester have officially opened Old Forester's Paristown Hall, Louisville's newest state-of-the-art, standing-room entertainment venue. The new building, located in the Paristown neighborhood and bound by Broadway, Barrett Avenue, Vine and Brent Streets, will host a slate of shows and programs with the help of Production Simple, a Louisville-based talent-buying and promotion company.

The opening of Old Forester's Paristown Hall represents more than a new building, said Kim Baker, president & CEO of The Kentucky Center. It is the fulfillment of our vision to continue bringing world-class arts experiences to everyone in our community. We now oversee three major performance venues, including The Kentucky Center, The Brown Theatre and now Old Forester's Paristown Hall. Our family of venues is the foundation of the strongest, newest and most robust live entertainment organization in the region.

Old Forester's Paristown Hall is a general admission venue for national touring bands, collaborative projects, new works and non-traditional arts experiences. The $12 million, 28,000-square-foot building can accommodate up to 2,000 patrons for shows and events. The venue will also produce and host new community and neighborhood events, including festivals and family-friendly gatherings, as well as fundraisers, conventions, programs and performance opportunities for local favorites. Old Forester is the venue's title sponsor.

The opening night festivities included a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a celebration of music and art that included contemporary dance phenomenon Pilobolus performing alongside musician Ben Sollee, Chicago-based instrumental music ensemble Mucca Pazza and the night's headliner, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, bringing the sounds of the Big Easy to the River City, while crisscrossing various musical genres.

Civic leader Christy Brown played a critical role by providing funding to develop the new venue.

"Old Forester's Paristown Hall is a great testament to the value of longstanding partnerships for growing the cultural health of Louisville, and I'm so honored to be a part of it," said Brown. "This is a fabulous attraction for every resident and an important financial anchor for the wonderful, historic, arts-conscious neighborhood of Paristown, helping to preserve critical cultural heritage handed down to us from generations of family businesses."

The venue will present a full schedule of shows year-round. Upcoming performances from major acts include Lucero with Lydia Loveless (July 25), Interpol with Surfbort (August 8), Gavin DeGraw (August 23), Drive-By Truckers with Freakwater (September 14) and Wu-Tang Clan (October 18). A full list of confirmed shows can be found atkentuckycenter.org.

For nearly 150 years Old Forester has found its way onto the backbars and into hearts of Louisvillians. We are exceptionally proud to be a part of this incredible venue and neighborhood-shaping venture with The Kentucky Center that's destined to make a mark on our hometown, said Campbell Brown, president and managing director of Old Forester. We're proud to invest in Louisville's creative communities, to foster the diversity of places and experiences that make this city a place Old Forester and Brown-Forman are proud to call home.

The Kentucky Center, a longtime engine for economic development, tourism and talent attraction, sees Old Forester's Paristown Hall as an opportunity to cultivate an audience of potential lifelong supporters of the arts and culture in Louisville. Old Forester's title sponsorship reflects its continued commitment to Louisville, in addition to its downtown distillery and homeplace experience on Whiskey Row, sponsorship of Thurby at Churchill Downs during Derby Week and serving as the official Mint Julep of The Kentucky Derby. From Old Forester's home on historic Whiskey Row, to Old Forester's Paristown Hall, and everything in between, the First Bottled Bourbon reminds arts patrons to please drink responsibly.

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