Floats, inflatables draw for position at special event
April 1, 2015. Louisville, KY. – The line-up is set for the 60th annual Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. Floats and inflatable units participating in this year’s parade drew for positions at a special event tonight at 8UP Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen. “Best of Louisville” will be the theme for the Derby Festival’s oldest event, which will feature approximately 100 units marching down Broadway on Thursday, April 30th.
Said Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: “We wanted to pay tribute to the community that has supported the Festival for 60 years. Participants can decorate their units to reflect what they love about Louisville. Then, we’ll showcase the best our city has to offer as the parade marches down Broadway in the spring.”
The parade theme will be used by sponsoring companies to help direct the building of floats and costuming of the inflatable handlers and crew. The floats and inflatables 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 annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
The 2015 Parade will feature 17 floats, many of them built by the employees of the companies sponsoring them. The following companies drew for their float position in the parade at tonight’s event, as well as the sponsors of the eight participating inflatable character balloons.
Floats:
ARTxFM
Belle Of Louisville
Brownsboro Hardware & Paint
CenterStage/ Jewish Community Center
City of St. Matthews
Fandomfest
Funtown Mountain
Grand Lodge of Kentucky
Hwang’s Martial Arts
Kentuckiana Pride Foundation
Kosair Shriners/Kosair Charities
Louisville Magazine
Metro Parks & Recreation
Norton Healthcare
Second Chance @ Life
The Fillies’, Inc.
Winner’s Circle FIRST Robotics Team
Inflatable Balloon Characters:
AAA East Central- Car
Hilliard Lyons – Paddington Bear
Horseshoe Southern Indiana- Horseshoe
LG&E- Louie the Lightning Bug
Republic Bank- Peggy Bank
StageOne Family Theatre- The Lorax
Zaxby’s- Kermit the Frog
ZirMed, Inc.- Secretariat
Spectators will have an opportunity to preview each float at the Republic Bank Derby Festival Parade Preview Party on Tuesday, April 28, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, in South Wing C. This event will offer a taste of nearly the entire parade. Character balloons, equestrian units and assorted VIPs will join the floats on display for the indoor tour “inside” a parade. Admission is a 2015 Pegasus Pin. Tickets for the Parade are on sale now online at www.kdf.org or by calling the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) 584-FEST. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats, $12 chair seating and $30 review stand seats.
