$7 burgers are back in Louisville 🍔

Welcome back to The Louisville Plug.

This week the city is serving up one of the best stretches of the summer. We've got Louisville Burger Week taking over 50+ restaurants, NuLu Summer Fest shutting down East Market, Dan + Shay and Bailey Zimmerman at the Yum! Center, and a sunset music night out at Blackacre.

Most importantly: a local spot that artist Bri Bowers says you need on your list immediately.

Inside this issue:

Okay, now let's get into this week. 👇

Bri Bowers is a Louisville based artist, illustrator, and pattern maker with a studio right in the heart of the city. Her work captures Louisville through her own lens, full of character, color, and great vibes. With that much creativity, we know it’s gotta be fueled by some great food… so of course we had to get her local rec.

Thank you Bri for the rec! When the hangry martini is strong enough to inspire an art studio move, you know it’s legit. Plus I have been trying to follow along Bob Ross tutorials with little success, so maybe this is the missing piece!

Be sure to follow Bri on Instagram and let her know if you try out Canary Club / The Breeze this week.

🗓️ Monday, July 13th – Sunday, July 19th | All week, during restaurant hours
📍 50+ restaurants citywide
💸 $7 – $8 per burger

The week Louisville waits for all year is finally here. From July 13th through the 19th, 50+ restaurants across the city are serving specialty burgers for just $7 or $8, everything from gourmet blends to off menu creations you literally cannot get any other time of year. New for 2026 is the Burger Week app: download it, check in at four or more participating spots, and you're entered to win prizes including the Ultimate Grilling Prize Pack from the Kentucky Beef Council.

Two tips straight from the organizers. Expect waits, since restaurants will be posting their remaining burger counts and wait times on social all week. And tip at least 20%, because you're getting a $14+ burger for $7 and those kitchens are working overtime. Tag your photos with #LOUBurgerWeek and plan your route now.

👉 See the full Burger Week restaurant list HERE

🗓️ Saturday, July 18th | All day
📍 700 & 800 Blocks of East Market Street
💸 FREE

NuLu's annual summer celebration is back and it's as fun as ever. East Market Street shuts down for live music, a watermelon eating contest, a limbo contest, putt putt, summer yard games, food trucks, 80+ vendors, and a tiki bar from Crowler Catering. The music lineup brings School of Rock, Rick Quisol & the Derby City Dandies, and the Ark Reggae Band.

Vendors will be selling locally and regionally handcrafted goods, and plenty of NuLu businesses run their own sales and specials throughout the day, so it's a great excuse to shop the neighborhood too. Completely free to walk in. One heads up: they love your furry friends, but leave the pets at home for this one.

👉 Get the full NuLu Summer Fest lineup HERE

🗓️ Saturday, July 18th @ 7:30pm
📍 KFC Yum! Center
💸 Ticketed

This lineup is stacked. Dan + Shay and Bailey Zimmerman co-headline Kosair Live, joined by Gabby Barrett, Hannah Harper, Richard Page of Mr. Mister, John Elefante of Kansas, and GRAMMY winner Richard Marx as a special guest, with Louisville's own The Crashers serving as the official house band. Expect Dan + Shay hits like "10,000 Hours," "Speechless," and "Tequila," plus Zimmerman bringing "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Fall In Love."

The best part? It's all for a great cause. Proceeds support Kosair for Kids and Kosair Shriners, who helped more than 168,000 children across Kentucky and southern Indiana last year. Big names, hometown pride, and a night that actually gives back.

👉 Grab your Kosair Live tickets HERE

🗓️ Tuesday, July 14th | Evening at sunset
📍 Blackacre State Nature Preserve, Tucker Station Rd
💸 $20 per carload

Here's one of the best deals in the region. Just $20 per carload gets your whole crew a night of live music and farm fun at Blackacre Nature Preserve, a historic working farm and nature preserve on the east side. Pack your chairs, grab your friends and family, and settle in for a genuinely relaxed evening outdoors as the sun goes down.

It's low key, family friendly, and exactly the kind of night that makes a Tuesday feel special. If you love it, the series continues on August 23rd, September 13th, and October 4th and 5th, so you can plan the next one on your way out.

👉 Get the Blackacre Sunset Music Series details HERE

Pizza Donisi in Old Louisville is serving up one of the most fun menus in the city, anchored by their ever-changing "Pizza of the Month," six house made hot sandwiches, vegan options, and special cannolis that rotate based on what's fresh. Right now you can grab $40 toward food and drinks for just $24 using code SUMMER at the link below. That's a serious discount on a spot worth getting to know.

👉 Grab the deal and browse the menu HERE

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— The Louisville Plug