January 30, 2017 Louisville, KY. – If you’re interested in participating in this year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade, you have through tomorrow to submit an application. The Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest event is set for Thursday, May 4. Registration opened online in October and the deadline to submit an application is January 31. The Festival is looking for participants in the following categories: Equestrian, Specialty Unit, Marching Band, Inflatable and Float. Applications can be downloaded at KDF.org. The theme of the parade is “Louisville on the Move.”
“This year’s theme is twofold with both a health focus, as well as a nod to how the city continues to grow and progress,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “There are many different ways to depict ‘Louisville on the Move’ and we look forward to seeing all the creative and original designs.”
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.
KentuckyOne Health is a new Contributing Sponsor for this year’s march down Broadway. KentuckyOne Health and its legacy organization, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s Healthcare, has been a partner of the Kentucky Derby Festival since 2002, most recently sponsoring Thunder Over Louisville since 2013.
Republic Bank, title sponsor of the event since 2002, returns in 2017. “For the 16th year, Republic Bank is delighted to be the sponsor of the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade and Republic Bank Pegasus Parade Preview Party,” said Republic Bank Chairman and CEO, Steve Trager. “We are very appreciative of our local communities that have helped us grow to become Kentucky’s largest locally owned community bank and honored to bring the Derby Festival’s oldest event to hundreds of thousands of spectators annually.”
Linkin’ Bridge, finalists on season 11 of America’s Got Talent, will serve as Honorary Grand Marshals of the 2017 parade, as well as open the event with a live performance on Broadway. The annual spectacle steps off at 5 p.m. and marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
The Pegasus Parade – the Derby Festival’s 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 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 annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
