diff --git a/src/plugins/data/common/es_query/filters/get_display_value.ts b/src/plugins/data/common/es_query/filters/get_display_value.ts
index 4bf7e1c9c6ba7..03167f3080419 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/common/es_query/filters/get_display_value.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/data/common/es_query/filters/get_display_value.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
  */
 
 import { get } from 'lodash';
+import { i18n } from '@kbn/i18n';
 import { IIndexPattern, IFieldType } from '../..';
 import { getIndexPatternFromFilter } from './get_index_pattern_from_filter';
 import { Filter } from '../filters';
@@ -27,7 +28,16 @@ function getValueFormatter(indexPattern?: IIndexPattern, key?: string) {
   let format = get(indexPattern, ['fields', 'byName', key, 'format']);
   if (!format && (indexPattern.fields as any).getByName) {
     // TODO: Why is indexPatterns sometimes a map and sometimes an array?
-    format = ((indexPattern.fields as any).getByName(key) as IFieldType).format;
+    const field: IFieldType = (indexPattern.fields as any).getByName(key);
+    if (!field) {
+      throw new Error(
+        i18n.translate('data.filter.filterBar.fieldNotFound', {
+          defaultMessage: 'Field {key} not found in index pattern {indexPattern}',
+          values: { key, indexPattern: indexPattern.title },
+        })
+      );
+    }
+    format = field.format;
   }
   return format;
 }
diff --git a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/_global_filter_item.scss b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/_global_filter_item.scss
index 51204e2a61168..24adf0093af95 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/_global_filter_item.scss
+++ b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/_global_filter_item.scss
@@ -32,6 +32,15 @@
   font-style: italic;
 }
 
+.globalFilterItem-isInvalid {
+  text-decoration: none;
+
+  .globalFilterLabel__value {
+    color: $euiColorDanger;
+    font-weight: $euiFontWeightBold;
+  }
+}
+
 .globalFilterItem-isPinned {
   position: relative;
 
diff --git a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_editor/lib/filter_label.tsx b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_editor/lib/filter_label.tsx
index 49a0d6f2ab3bd..503650d13c5f8 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_editor/lib/filter_label.tsx
+++ b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_editor/lib/filter_label.tsx
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ export function FilterLabel({ filter, valueLabel }: Props) {
       prefixText
     );
 
+  const getValue = (text?: string) => {
+    return <span className="globalFilterLabel__value">{text}</span>;
+  };
+
   if (filter.meta.alias !== null) {
     return (
       <Fragment>
@@ -55,35 +59,35 @@ export function FilterLabel({ filter, valueLabel }: Props) {
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {filter.meta.key} {existsOperator.message}
+          {filter.meta.key}: {getValue(`${existsOperator.message}`)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     case esFilters.FILTERS.GEO_BOUNDING_BOX:
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {filter.meta.key}: {valueLabel}
+          {filter.meta.key}: {getValue(valueLabel)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     case esFilters.FILTERS.GEO_POLYGON:
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {filter.meta.key}: {valueLabel}
+          {filter.meta.key}: {getValue(valueLabel)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     case esFilters.FILTERS.PHRASES:
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {filter.meta.key} {isOneOfOperator.message} {valueLabel}
+          {filter.meta.key}: {getValue(`${isOneOfOperator.message} ${valueLabel}`)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     case esFilters.FILTERS.QUERY_STRING:
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {valueLabel}
+          {getValue(`${valueLabel}`)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     case esFilters.FILTERS.PHRASE:
@@ -91,14 +95,14 @@ export function FilterLabel({ filter, valueLabel }: Props) {
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {filter.meta.key}: {valueLabel}
+          {filter.meta.key}: {getValue(valueLabel)}
         </Fragment>
       );
     default:
       return (
         <Fragment>
           {prefix}
-          {JSON.stringify(filter.query)}
+          {getValue(`${JSON.stringify(filter.query) || filter.meta.value}`)}
         </Fragment>
       );
   }
diff --git a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
index 788663041fd03..f24befff9a9a8 100644
--- a/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
+++ b/src/plugins/data/public/ui/filter_bar/filter_item.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { IUiSettingsClient } from 'src/core/public';
 import { FilterEditor } from './filter_editor';
 import { FilterView } from './filter_view';
 import { esFilters, IIndexPattern } from '../..';
+import { getNotifications } from '../../services';
 
 interface Props {
   id: string;
@@ -56,24 +57,41 @@ class FilterItemUI extends Component<Props, State> {
   public render() {
     const { filter, id } = this.props;
     const { negate, disabled } = filter.meta;
+    let hasError: boolean = false;
+
+    let valueLabel;
+    try {
+      valueLabel = esFilters.getDisplayValueFromFilter(filter, this.props.indexPatterns);
+    } catch (e) {
+      getNotifications().toasts.addError(e, {
+        title: this.props.intl.formatMessage({
+          id: 'data.filter.filterBar.labelErrorMessage',
+          defaultMessage: 'Failed to display filter',
+        }),
+      });
+      valueLabel = this.props.intl.formatMessage({
+        id: 'data.filter.filterBar.labelErrorText',
+        defaultMessage: 'Error',
+      });
+      hasError = true;
+    }
+    const dataTestSubjKey = filter.meta.key ? `filter-key-${filter.meta.key}` : '';
+    const dataTestSubjValue = filter.meta.value ? `filter-value-${valueLabel}` : '';
+    const dataTestSubjDisabled = `filter-${
+      this.props.filter.meta.disabled ? 'disabled' : 'enabled'
+    }`;
 
     const classes = classNames(
       'globalFilterItem',
       {
-        'globalFilterItem-isDisabled': disabled,
+        'globalFilterItem-isDisabled': disabled || hasError,
+        'globalFilterItem-isInvalid': hasError,
         'globalFilterItem-isPinned': esFilters.isFilterPinned(filter),
         'globalFilterItem-isExcluded': negate,
       },
       this.props.className
     );
 
-    const valueLabel = esFilters.getDisplayValueFromFilter(filter, this.props.indexPatterns);
-    const dataTestSubjKey = filter.meta.key ? `filter-key-${filter.meta.key}` : '';
-    const dataTestSubjValue = filter.meta.value ? `filter-value-${valueLabel}` : '';
-    const dataTestSubjDisabled = `filter-${
-      this.props.filter.meta.disabled ? 'disabled' : 'enabled'
-    }`;
-
     const badge = (
       <FilterView
         filter={filter}