Louisville is this year’s host city for the Nomadness Fest (Sept. 28 – Oct. 1), a festival of the Nomadness Travel Tribe that focuses on and spotlights Black, Indigenous, and People of Color travelers from around the world. The Nomadness community boasts over 34,000 travelers of color worldwide.
This annual event will feature important names in the travel and travel business industries. Some of those featured will be Jeff Jenkins, who is in the travel spotlight for National Geographic; Deidre Mathis, the first Black woman in the United States to open a hostel; Jason Dunn, who is president of the National Coalition for Black Meeting Planners; and Evita Robinson, a TED-Talk-stamped speaker and community leader in the travel industry. The focus of the event will cover the business of travel, leisure, and conscious travel.
The festival will be held in four local venues: the Muhammad Ali Center, The Belvedere, Paristown, and 21C Museum Hotel.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here and range in prices from free to $250 for weekend passes.
- Multiple speaking sessions aligned with our 2023 tracks: Leisure Travel, The Business of Travel, and Conscious Travel
- Hands-on activations from sponsors and partners
- Free swag
- VIP Lounge access for applicable ticket holders
- VIP Welcome Mixer along with other top-notch networking opportunities
- Invite-only opportunities (Thursday, Sept. 28) that includes networking with brands, fellow travel influencers, and destination reps for a select group of attendees
- Tours around Louisville
- Travel Business Pitch Competition finals + grant winner announced
- Annual Tribe BBQ (Sunday, Oct. 1)
- Local vendors + food trucks
“Welcoming the NOMADNESS Travel Tribe attendees to town not only positively impacts Louisville economically, but also helps our destination increase awareness surrounding Black travel and visitation as we strive to host a higher percentage of Black visitors annually,” said Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism President and CEO, in a release. “We certainly look forward to helping NOMADNESS Fest attendees experience the city’s unique brand of Southern hospitality, iconic attractions and rich culinary scene.”
