May 2, 2016. Louisville, KY. – Festival fans can get a special preview of this week’s parade at the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade Preview Party tomorrow at the Kentucky Exposition Center in South Wing C. 2016 marks the 61st annual parade, which will feature approximately 100 units marching down Broadway on Thursday, May 5.
Each parade float and inflatable will be on display, complete with costumed characters, as well as equestrian units. Stage performances from local dance groups will also be featured. The theme of this year’s parade is “Fun for the Arts,” so many of the units are decorated to celebrate the arts in Louisville.
Said Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Berry: “The arts and the Derby Festival go hand-in-hand in helping to form the cultural fabric of our community. Whether we are sharing an educational moment with a student or being thrilled by a big production on a professional stage, we are creating memories that will live on after the curtain falls. The Festival is paying tribute to all those groups who bring the arts to us and you will see many of them in the parade this year. It will be 2016’s biggest hit on Louisville’s Broadway!”
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The 2016 Parade will feature 15 equestrian units, 11 floats, 30 specialty units, 11 marching bands and 8 inflatable character balloons.
Floats:
Belle of Louisville
CenterStage/J Arts & Ideas at the JCC
City of St. Matthews
Grand Lodge of Kentucky
Hwang’s Martial Arts
Kentuckiana Pride Festival
Kosair Shriners/Kosair Charities
Metro Parks & Recreation
Norton Healthcare
Second Chance @ Life
The Fillies, Inc.
Admission to the Pegasus Parade Preview Party is a 2016 Pegasus Pin. Children can participate in the Fun Pass Program, collecting stamps from the parade units to receive a free Parade Preview metal pin. Private tours will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 3, and the event will be open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Fans can also vote on their favorite parade inflatable and float online at KDF.org/PeoplesChoice. The winner will be announced in the parade on Thursday. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats and $12 for chair seating. To purchase, call the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) 584-FEST.
Republic Bank is title sponsor of the event. Media Sponsors are 99.7 DJX and Today’s Family Magazine.
