Traveling the world, learning about new cultures and taking the next step to learn about a new community: That is what Nomadness Fest is all about! This year, Nomadness Fest was held in Kentucky and Heaven Hill was one of its main sponsors. As a sponsor, there were many opportunities for some our team members to get involved. Partner Development Manager Jean Michalak, National Spirits Specialist and Portfolio Mixologist Lynn House and Bourbon Educator George Harrison jumped in to help and to represent us with flying colors throughout the event weekend.

Nomadness Fest started out with an industry day where sponsors conducted open dialogue with attendees about Kentucky tourism. The Welcome Opening Night event was held at Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (EWBE). Before the event, a select few guests got to come and see George’s fantastic “Ideal Bartender” presentation. Lynn then spoke to discuss her experience developing and building a career in the hospitality world. The main feature of the festival was the actual booths and stands that promoted travel and other conveniences to help make attendee’s future travel experiences more smooth. On the last day, guests enjoyed a lovely BBQ to come together one last time.

Nomadness Fest is a tourism festival that is for travelers of color and allies. This unique festival has been happening in different cities across the United States since 2018. Every year there is a theme. This year, the theme was Cultural and Conscious Travel. The goal of this festival is to bring stories, leaders, resources and community together – all in one place.

The event is an extension of the Nomadness Travel Tribe. The tribe was established in 2011 as a way for avid travelers to meet and connect and has become a community that has grown from 100 to tens of thousands of members.

Before the days of prohibition, Tom Bullock wrote the Ideal Bartender, a cookbook on cocktails. The story of Tom and this time period is given at the EWBE by George Harrison in the EWBE’s secret speakeasy. Tom was the first Black American to write and publish a cocktail book. These great steps taken by Tom got us to where we are today with cocktail culture and some of the proof is in the magic of George’s Ideal Bartender presentation.