REGISTRATION OPEN FOR PARADE PARTICIPANTS
October 22, 2014 Louisville, KY. The Kentucky Derby Festival is looking for participants for next year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. 2015 marks the 60th annual parade, which will march down Broadway on Thursday, April 30. The Festival is looking for participants in the following categories: Equestrian, Specialty Unit, Marching Band, Inflatable and Float. Applications can be downloaded online at www.kdf.org. The application deadline is January 31, 2015.
The theme of the 2015 Republic Bank Pegasus Parade is “Best of Louisville.” 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.”
This year’s theme was inspired by Louisville Magazine’s annual Best of Louisville® program, which celebrates local favorites. “We’re thrilled that the Derby Festival and Republic Bank chose to use this local symbol of excellence as this year’s parade theme,” said Louisville Magazine publisher Dan Crutcher.
The parade theme is used by sponsoring companies to help direct 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. Those seeking additional information about participating in the parade can contact Event Manager Jon Pollock at (502) 572-3833 or jpollock@kdf.org.
Republic Bank, title sponsor of the event since 2002, returns in 2015. “We are thrilled to once again be the title sponsor of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest event – the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. As the largest locally owned community bank, we are delighted to be able to bring this festival favorite to our community,” said Republic Bank Chairman and CEO, Steve Trager. “All of our associates share our pride in sponsoring this uniquely local event and like the rest of the community look forward to it each year.”
The Pegasus Parade – the Derby Festival’s oldest founding event – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Kentucky Derby Festival in the spring and provides an estimated economic impact of more than $22 million. The annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
