INDIANAPOLIS (May 22, 2017) – The 500 Festival today announces the celebrity lineup for the 2017 KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball (#SnakepitBall). Along with platinum-selling rock band X Ambassadors headlining the entertainment, a star-studded list of attendees will join race weekend’s most exclusive party. The 2017 KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball will be held Saturday, May 27 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Red Carpet arrivals will happen from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

The list of celebrities attending this year’s KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball includes:

X Ambassadors: The platinum-selling rock band released their debut album, VHS, in 2015, where it debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The album features the platinum selling, No. 1 song, “Renegades,” as well as the single, “Unsteady,” which climbed the Billboard Hot 100 and is featured in the feature film and soundtrack for “Me Before You.” Hailing from Ithaca, N.Y., X Ambassadors is a guitar-driven rock band whose music features a unique sampling of soul and hip-hop. The group will headline the evening’s entertainment.

Eva Kor: Kor is a survivor of the Holocaust and forgiveness advocate. At the age of 10 she entered Auschwitz where she was separated from most of her family. She and her twin sister were subjected to unthinkable medical experiments and fought daily for their own survival until the camp was eventually liberated. Kor’s experiences in Auschwitz, coupled with her never-give-up attitude, led her to a life of advocacy work, teaching remembrance, understanding, and hope. She is a resident of Terre Haute, Ind. where she co-founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Following her duties as Grand Marshal of the 61^st IPL 500 Festival Parade, Kor will take to the red carpet for the Snakepit Ball in the evening festivities, as well.

Madison Kocian: American gymnast Madison Kocian is a member of the gold-winning 2016 U.S. Olympic Team, nicknamed "The Final Five." Kocian helped the U.S. women win team gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the USA’s second-straight Olympic gymnastics team title. She also won the uneven bars silver medal, the first U.S. Olympic uneven bars medal since 2008. In 2015, Kocian made gymnastics history when she was part of a four-way tie for the 2015 World uneven bars gold medal. She also helped the USA to its third-consecutive World team title with her performances at the 2015 World Championships.

Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak: The stars of HGTV's Good Bones, mother/daughter team Karen Laine and Mina Starsiak are revitalizing their hometown of Indianapolis one property at a time, buying dilapidated homes and rehabbing them into stunning urban remodels. Since 2007, mother-daughter duo Mina and Karen have renovated close to twenty homes in Fountain Square, a community in Indianapolis adjacent to the city's downtown. Season 2 of the hit show premieres on Tuesday, May 30 on HGTV.

Scot Pollard: Scot Pollard is an 11 year NBA veteran and played for the Indiana Pacers from 2003-2006. He retired in 2008 as an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics. Since retiring from NBA he's appeared in several films and has worked in broadcasting for numerous outlets. In 2016, he was a contestant on Season 32 of the hit CBS reality TV show "Survivor", finishing in 8th place. He and his wife Dawn live in Carmel with their 4 children.

Governor Eric Holcomb: Governor Holcomb is the 51^st Governor of Indiana. He is a born-and-raised Hoosier and a graduate of Pike High School and Hanover College. He spent his entire childhood in Indiana before serving in the Navy for six years and working in Washington D.C. for another six.

Mayor Joe Hogsett: Mayor Hogsett is the 49^th mayor of Indianapolis. He is a lifelong Hoosier with deep roots in the city. Before serving the City as Mayor, he served as a federal prosecutor and Secretary of State in Indiana.

About the KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball

The 2017 KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball is race weekend’s most exclusive party attracting celebrities and VIPs in town for race weekend. The entertainment of X Ambassadors will complement the theme for this year’s KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, The Art of the Race, an interactive art event. The theme will play off the double meaning of the word art– there is an art to racing and art inspired by racing. At the event, artists and technicians will focus on four aspects of the visual arts: light & video, the use of unconventional materials, fashion and the human body. This year’s Snakepit Ball will deliver a one of a kind party celebrating the race in an exciting and visually expressive way.

To learn more about the KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, please visit 500festival.com/snakepit.

The KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball is sponsored by KeyBank, Business Furniture and BCforward. The KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball’s red carpet arrival will broadcast live on WISH-TV.

Editor’s Note: To download a photo of X Ambassadors, CLICK HERE.

To check out X Ambassadors’ music video for “Renegades,” CLICK HERE.

To view X Ambassadors’ music video for “Unsteady,” CLICK HERE.

About the 500 Festival

Founded in 1957, the 500 Festival is a not-for-profit organization that produces more than 50 life-enriching events and programs while celebrating the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500 and fostering positive impact on the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana. One of the largest festivals in the nation, each year more than half a million people attend an event or program produced by the 500 Festival. Since its founding, the 500 Festival has contributed more than $400 million in economic value to Indianapolis. To learn more about the 500 Festival, please visit www.500festival.com, follow us on Twitter @500festival, or on Facebook.