Louder Than Life is an annual music festival held in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky. The festival celebrates the best of rock and metal music, while also highlighting the culture of Louisville. Since beginning in 2014, the festival has quickly grown into one of the largest and most respected music festivals in the country, and it has drawn some of the biggest rock bands of all time to Louisville.

This year’s Louder Than Life is one of the largest in festival history, bringing a crowd of over 160,000 to the Highland Festival Grounds for a four-day weekend of music lasting from Thursday, September 21st until Sunday, the 24th. The festival boasted an impressive lineup, being headlined by The Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, and Green Day. The full lineup contained over 130 performers across five stages, and included a variety of bands from many different genres and eras, ranging from the nostalgic indie rock of groups such as Weezer and The Queens of the Stone Age to the unfiltered heavy metal of Pantera, Limp Bizkit, and Falling In Reverse.

Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP) is the company responsible for running Louder Than Life, as well as multiple other music festivals throughout the United States, including Bourbon and Beyond, another Louisville festival that draws massive crowds. With their two back-to-back Louisville festivals, DWP brings around 300,000 people and $26 million to the city. In addition to helping the city’s economy, DWP assists many local businesses and restaurants, with dozens of Louisville restaurants and businesses having tents and food trucks set up for festival goers.

I attended the festival on Thursday, and it was a one-of-a-kind experience. For the entire day, thousands of people are condensed into one area, and no matter who they are, the audience is united as one massive community. Being able to escape the pressures of life is something that many people wish to achieve, and the crowd at Louder Than Life is no different. For four days, they don’t have to worry about their jobs, their school, or their relationships. Their biggest concern is what performers they will see, and how they will get to their set in time.

Louder Than Life also gives attendees a chance to be themselves. Many audience members can be found in bizarre costumes, or just acting as wild as they want with no care in the world. All kinds of people can be found at the festival having the time of their lives, no matter their age, race, gender, or beliefs. The festival is a rather peaceful event, which nicely contrasts with the loud and aggressive music on display.

Something very important to know is that Louder Than Life is much more than just a bunch of concerts. The festival gives people a chance to experience the best food, drink, and fun in the city of Louisville, which is quickly growing into one of the biggest cities in the Midwestern United States. For anyone wishing to explore a spectacular city, escape the pressures of society for a weekend, and see some of the greatest rock bands in the world, I suggest purchasing a pass to Louder Than Life.