Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown permanently closes May 23
22 May 2026
It is the end of an era: May 23 marks WhoDunnit’s final performance at the Bristol Bar & Grille Downtown, as their doors close for the last time.
Since 2015, WhoDunnit has partnered with the Bristol Bar & Grille to entertain audiences by serving up our original murder mysteries in-between courses of the Bristol’s famous fare. We were excited to expand our partnership to a second Bristol location in the Highlands beginning in the spring of 2025, and our first few shows there proved our audiences loved the new venue! We shared your disappointment when the Bristol Bar & Grille Highlands announced their closure in March of this year.
From the Bristol’s website:
Our downtown location was one of the first restaurants to open as part of Louisville’s Main Street revitalization efforts. It is a staple for business lunches and walking distance to many attractions in Louisville. People headed out for a concert at the KFC Yum Center or play at The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts visit Bristol Bar & Grille downtown for dinner before or drinks after. Guests from out of town visiting nearby museums like the Frazier Museum, Louisville Slugger, Muhammad Ali Center or the Kentucky Science Center stop by to get a true taste of Kentucky’s Southern hospitality.
WhoDunnit is now “on the case” seeking our next home base!
As we say in the theatre, “the show must go on!” Although WhoDunnit must once again pivot in light of the abrupt closure of the Bristol Downtown, our home base for the last decade, our friends at 80/20 @ Kaelin’s have graciously welcomed WhoDunnit and our audiences for our last three performances of The Case of the Smokin’ Gunn to close out our current season.
Our cast will take our final, bittersweet bows at Bristol Downtown this Saturday, May 23. The fantastic Bristol staff has become an extended part of the WhoDunnit family. WhoDunnit thanks them for their years of support and hospitality, and we wish them many broken chairs (our way of saying “good luck!”) as they refocus on their East End location and their search for a new home Downtown.
In the meantime, our Board of Directors has been hard at work scouting new location(s) that are up to WhoDunnit audiences’ high standards, and our New Location Task Force has several promising leads for next season! We’ll be sure to let you know where you can catch our future shows just as soon as we iron out the details. We know how much our audiences love having choices, so we hope to bring our original murder mystery productions to multiple “stages” around Louisville, including returning to 80/20 @ Kaelin’s for occasional special performances!
You still have time to purchase tickets if you’d like to join us in bidding the Bristol a fond farewell this Saturday! We also encourage you to stop by the Bristol Bar & Grille East End location to enjoy green chili wontons and other favorites. And, of course, don’t forget to sign up for our e-mail list to be the first to know when we announce our new performance venue.
On behalf of the entire WhoDunnit family, we thank you for your continued support as we embark on the next, exciting part of our journey! We can’t wait to perform for you again soon.
1999
WhoDunnit is founded in MA
2001
WhoDunnit moves to Louisville, KY
2015
Performances begin at the Bristol Downtown
2025
Performances begin at the Bristol Highlands
March 2026:
Bristol Highlands closes
May 2026:
Bristol Downtown closes
May 2026:
WhoDunnit temporarily relocates to 80/20 @ Kaelin’s
Now
WhoDunnit looks for our next new "home!"
