We're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month! As a community-focused organization, we're proud to celebrate the Hispanic and Latinx community - and the influence of its culture, traditions, and heritage - this month and every month. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we're highlighting a few 500 Festival Princesses who [...]

On Saturday, April 23rd, the 500 Festival Princesses were all in attendance at the Indianapolis Arts Center to celebrate the 2022 Princess Program, presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis. 2022 marks the 63rd anniversary of the Princess Program. Throughout the years, more than 2,000 of Indiana’s most accomplished college-aged [...]

What does it mean to be a 500 Festival Princess? Each year, 33 of Indiana's most civic-minded, academically driven college-aged women are selected to be a part of the 500 Festival Princess Program, presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis. As a 500 Festival Princess, you can experience once-in-a-lifetime opportunities [...]

On Saturday, May 22, the 2021 Marlyne Sexton 500 Festival Queen Scholar was awarded to Janae Quinn during the Breakfast at the Brickyard ceremony. Prior to 2015, only the woman selected as the 500 Festival Queen Scholar received a scholarship. In 2019, Marlyne Sexton made a generous commitment to the [...]

by Kayla Vasilko My collective experience in the Festival 500 Princess Program can be summarized by two incredible quotes about self-growth and self-belief. Carrie Fisher once said, "Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What's important is the action. You don't have to wait to be confident. Just do it and [...]

by Kayla Vasilko As equally as the incredibly welcoming Panel Discussions and supportive atmosphere, the opportunity to dedicate me to community outreach has been one of my favorite aspects of the 500 Festival Princess Program. I have participated in many different community service opportunities throughout my life that I am [...]

by Kayla Vasilko My entire experience with the 500 Festival Princess Program has been centered around the theme of going the extra mile. Even before I joined the program, I always strove to be innovative, get involved in the community, and create new initiatives whenever I saw a need. But [...]

On Saturday, April 10th, the 500 Festival Princesses visited Khamis Fine Jewelers to pick up their custom 2021 500 Festival Princess Program Pendant and receive their $1,000 scholarship, made possible by Marlyne Sexton, an Indianapolis philanthropist and president of The Sextoxn Companies, and the 500 Festival Foundation. During the event, [...]

The 500 Festival Princess Program, presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis, celebrates Indiana’s most civic-minded, academically driven young women. Each year, 33 college-aged women are selected as 500 Festival Princesses and serve as ambassadors of the 500 Festival, their hometowns, and their colleges/universities.     Serving as a 500 Festival Princess [...]