About the fest
GonzoFest
GonzoFest honors Hunter S. Thompson’s literary legacy and the lasting mark he has made on American journalism, culture, politics. Through lectures, live music, art, panel discussions and spoken word, GonzoFest celebrates the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson.
Looking back
Past Festivals
GonzoFest 2016 was even more impressive as we took GonzoFest Louisville to the next level. The festival took place on the Big Four Lawn of Waterfront Park, and featured bigger bands, a bigger venue and some of the biggest names in the Hunter S. Thompson universe in the biggest gathering of the Gonzo family since his funeral in 2005.
2015 saw a new format for GonzoFest, moving the entire venue to one location as an all out literary and music festival complete with vendors of all types, stage, acrobats, a parade and life poetry and spoken word readings and an attendance of over 5,000 fans at the Big Four Lawn.
Our 2014 festival included six events with music from Louisville musicians spanning all genres. Highlights of GonzoFest Louisville 2014 included; a keynote speech given by Frank Messina, live music, art, poetry readings, panel discussions regarding Hunter’s influence on various aspects of the American culture, live readings of Hunter’s work, the U.S. premier of the Ralph STEADman documentary For No Good Reason. At the main event on April 5, 2014 Louisville Mayor Greg Fischerrenamed the city “Gonzoville” for the day.
Hunter’s very own “Hunter’s Gonzoville” banner was unveiled that same day at GonzoFest Louisville. With this banner the impact Hunter had on this city and beyond will be displayed along the banners of other prominent Louisville personalities such as Muhammad Ali, Diane Sawyer, Colonel Sanders, and Pee Wee Reese to name a few. The official “Hunter’s Gonzoville” banner now hangs on the side of the Bristol Bar and Grill building on Bardstown Road.
Past events
