There are events you show up to for the work, and then there are events you show up to because they’re the most fun thing happening in Louisville that day. NuLu Bockfest is the second kind. Goat racing, bock beer, live music, a wurst competition, and a few thousand people packed into one of the best neighborhoods in the city. This was a blast to shoot.
What Is NuLu Bockfest
For those who haven’t been, NuLu Bockfest is an annual spring festival put on by the NuLu Business Association. It celebrates the old German tradition of releasing bock beer after winter aging to mark the change of season. The event takes place in the heart of NuLu - Louisville’s “New Louisville” neighborhood - right between the two alleys that give the area its character: Nanny Goat Strut and Billy Goat Strut. Yes, the goat theme is very real here.
The main attraction is the goat racing. Twelve races throughout the day, with goats supplied by Sunny Acres Farm and the Jefferson County Farm Bureau running the show. The highlight is the baby goat race where Louisville TV anchors and meteorologists each pick a baby goat to champion, and the winner’s charity gets a $500 donation. It’s exactly as fun as it sounds.
The Scene
Beyond the goat track, the rest of the festival is wall-to-wall good times. Local breweries pouring their exclusive bock beers, Bulleit Bourbon specialty cocktails, food trucks, and the Wurst Fest where local chefs go head to head for the title of Best of the Wurst. There’s a petting zoo, a bubble truck, and a tipping tractor for the kids. The NuLu 502 fun run kicks things off in the morning - a 502-foot “micro marathon” down Clay Street.
I even got to photograph Mayor Craig Greenberg making the rounds, which is always a good sign that an event has real pull in this city.
Shooting Bockfest for Cambrium Marketing
I was brought on for this one by Cambrium Marketing, the agency that handles marketing for the NuLu Business Association. Same team that brought me on for Waterfront Wednesday and the St. James Art Fair. When you work with good people and deliver strong images, the calls keep coming - and I’m grateful for every one of them.
The challenge with a festival like this is that everything is happening at once. Goats are racing, bands are playing, people are eating, kids are running around, and the light is shifting all afternoon. You have to stay on your feet and shoot fast. No second takes. That’s what I love about event photography - it’s pure instinct.
NuLu Is Worth the Trip
If you’ve never spent a day in NuLu, you’re missing out. AFAR magazine named it one of the best food neighborhoods in the country, and once you walk through you’ll understand why. The restaurants, the shops, the street art, the energy - it’s the kind of neighborhood that makes Louisville feel like a much bigger city than it is. And when Bockfest takes over, it’s on another level.
Louisville Event Photography
If you’re planning a festival, corporate event, or community gathering in Louisville and need a photographer who knows how to capture the energy of a live event, let’s talk. I’ve shot events all across the city - from NuLu to Old Louisville to the Waterfront - and I’d love to be behind the camera at yours.
Check out my full event photography portfolio or reach out through my contact page to book your next event.
