SUNDAY PARADE TO CELEBRATE 150TH KENTUCKY DERBY
December 4, 2023. Louisville, KY. – If you’ve ever wanted to participate in the Kentucky Derby Festival’s annual parade, this could be your chance! Applications are now open for the 2024 Zoeller Pump Company Pegasus Parade. The parade returns to Broadway on Sunday, April 28, 2024, at 3 p.m. The Derby Festival is looking for participants in the following categories: Equestrians, Specialty Units, Marching Bands, Inflatables, and Floats. Interested participants can submit their applications online at KDF.org/PegasusParade.
“The Zoeller Pump Company Pegasus Parade continues to be a tradition that brings the community together to celebrate during our favorite time of year in Kentucky,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO. “The march down Broadway each spring is made special by those who participate, and all the work they put into their units from the costuming and choreography to the music and decorations to bring smiles to all those who are watching.”
The 2024 parade theme is “Celebrating Derby 150” in honor of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby next spring. A different theme is chosen each year for the parade to help guide the decorations and music used by the participants, including the building of floats and costuming of the inflatable handlers and crew. The floats compete for various awards based on originality, eye appeal, theme representation, animation, attention to detail, and enthusiasm. Marching bands use the theme to help with musical selection and it is the basis of costume and concept design for the other marching units. The deadline to apply to participate is January 31, 2024.
Louisville-based Zoeller Pump Company returns as the Title Sponsor of the parade for the fourth consecutive year.
“Zoeller Pump Company continues to hear from the community about our sponsorship of the Pegasus Parade. It’s an honor to be part of the Kentucky Derby Festival and 2024 will be even more special as we celebrate our 85th year as a company here in Louisville,” said Dwight Newton, Zoeller Pump Company Chief People Officer. “We LOVE this city and it is home to so many of our team members and their families. We encourage everyone to participate in as many Derby Festival events as they can, and especially the Pegasus Parade.”
2024 marks the 69th year for the Parade, which is the founding event of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The first Parade was produced in 1956 to create a way for the community to celebrate before the Derby horse race. It was organized by just a handful of volunteers on a budget of $640 and has become one of the Festival’s largest events with an estimated economic impact of $22 million.
Zoeller Pump Company is the Title Sponsor, joining Contributing Sponsors Churchill Downs and Kentucky Venues, UofL Health as the Official Health Care Provider, The Galt House as the Official Hotel, and Media Partner, WAVE.
