LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Derby week is here! Celebrations kicked off with the 69th Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade.

What You Need To Know

  • The Pegasus Parade kicked off Derby Week festivities, featuring a 30-foot-tall Pegasus balloon that led off the parade

  • The balloon made its debut last year and people who are walking with it said the new one is easier to handle

  • The parade is the oldest Kentucky Derby Festival event

  • According to the Kentucky Derby Festival, the parade contributes an estimated $22 million to the local economy

It wouldn’t be the Pegasus Parade without a 20-foot-wide and 30-foot-tall inflatable Pegasus, led by the Zoeller Pump Company.

“We’ve sponsored the parade for three years now and this is our third year doing it and since we sponsor the parade, we get the lead float, I suppose,” said Scott Lechner, chief marketing officer for the Zoeller Pump Company, who sponsored the parade.

The huge Pegasus balloon made its debut last year.

When it’s windy, Lechner said the new one is much easier to handle.

 “Yeah, it’s a little bit more stable. It used to be a pure balloon, now it’s attached to the trailer, so it’s gotten easier this year,” he said.

Lechner is in control of Pegasus’ head, one of the highest points on the balloon.

“As you get the stoplights, the wires. We’ve got to get the wings and the head down to go under the lights and so forth. So that’s where the work comes in,” Lechner said.

He said that’s the hardest part; but when one of his hands is free, that’s when the easier part of his job comes in.  

“Otherwise, just waving to the people. Your queen wave,” he said.

The parade and its nearly 100 units marched west on Broadway from Campbell Street to 9th Street.

“This is the oldest event for the Kentucky Derby Festival. It started with a parade and this is the longest continuous event of ours and it just brings joy to a lot of people,” said Michael Sadofsky, assistant parade chair.

The first ever Pegasus Parade was in 1956 with four volunteers and a budget of $640. Today the parade has over 200,000 viewers along its 1.7-mile route.

“There’s a lot of pride. A lot of employees are involved, and it’s nice to take them to the Derby festival,” said Lechner.

Lechner and his coworkers expect to be back next year.

According to the Kentucky Derby Festival, the parade contributes an estimated $22 million to the local economy.

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