LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 69th Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade steps off Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. as Derby Week kicks into high gear.

This year’s parade route will head west on Broadway from Campbell to 9th Street in downtown Louisville. The theme for the parade this year is “Celebrating Derby 150,” in honor of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

This is the route for the 2024 Zoeller Pump Company Pegasus Parade (Kentucky Derby Festival)

“From participants to Festival fans, the march down Broadway brings our community together every spring and has become a special kick-off to Derby week,” said Matt Gibson, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival.

KDF said this year’s parade will “celebrate the people, places and events who play a key role in making Derby season a special time of year in Louisville and throughout the Commonwealth.”

The VIPs for the parade include Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, Miss Kentucky Mallory Hudson, Teddy Abrams, Pat Armstrong, Alan Rupp, Gus the Pegasus, the Sacred Heart Girls’ basketball team and the Simmons College of Kentucky women’s basketball team. Jockeys Pat Day, Brian Hernandez and Julian Leparoux will also attend.

Floats from nine sponsoring organizations will be featured: Brightside Foundation and Louisville Tourism — Gallopalooza Black Jockeys Float, Central High School Alumni Association, City of St. Matthews Festival of Stars — JCPS Justice Now, Norton Healthcare, Louisville Parks and Recreation, Second Chance @ Life, The Fillies, Inc., & the 2024 Royal Court, Thoughts Out Loud Mental Health and Violence Prevention Barber Shop, and Zoeller Pump Company — Goldie.

The parade will also feature 11 equestrian units, nine marching bands and seven inflatable characters.

To recognize the milestone Derby, Churchill Downs is sponsoring all general admission bleacher seating for the parade, meaning over 3,000 seats along the route from Jackson to 9th streets will be free to attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Pegasus Parade is the founding event of the Kentucky Derby Festival, first marching in 1956. It was organized by a handful of volunteers on a budget of $640. The festival has since expanded to include several events in April and the first week of May.