Illuminate. Innovate. Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS (December 6, 2017) – The 500 Festival, a nonprofit organization providing life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500®, today announced the theme for the 2018 IPL 500 Festival Parade; Illuminate. Innovate. Indianapolis.

“The 2018 theme for the IPL 500 Festival Parade is very meaningful, not just for the mission of the 500 Festival and IPL, but for this entire city and its celebration of May,” said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. “Not only does our title sponsor IPL illuminate Indy every single day – and as a sponsor since the very first Parade in 1957 – but together we can highlight Indy’s commitment to innovation through this year’s celebration. It’s sure to be a spectacular occasion as we put Indy center stage and light it up for the world to take notice.”

2018 Parade Theme: Every May, the world turns its focus on Indianapolis. Beaming with civic pride and radiating a racing spirit, together we can present a city that shines bright at the forefront of a cutting edge world. 2018 is about illuminating the history, tradition, and sacrifices of our heroes on Memorial Day Weekend, while looking forward and saluting Indy’s commitment to innovation. This May, it’s “Showtime” for a city that deserves to be the star. So let’s turn the lights up high, point the camera on Indy, and take action for the 102^nd Running of the Indy 500. Illuminate. Innovate. Indianapolis.   

“We are incredibly excited about the theme for the 2018 IPL 500 Festival Parade,” said Rafael Sanchez, IPL President and CEO. “At IPL, we’ve leveraged opportunities to create new solutions for our customes through a number of sustainability, innovation and community involvement initiatives so this year’s theme is a home run. The idea of illuminating Indianapolis makes this celebration very special for us, and we can’t wait to help power the parade for the 62^nd time.”

The 2018 theme was inspired by two very important goals and trends for the 500 Festival, the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis.

The first is “illuminate.” As an organization, the 500 Festival’s mission is to enrich and impact lives through its events and programs. Illuminating that impact starts with highlighting the many different ways our city and state rally together to enrich lives through celebration, civic pride, our racing spirit, and the timeless tradition of celebrating our great heroes on Memorial Day Weekend.

The second is “innovate.” The 500 Festival, the city of Indianapolis, and a number of our community partners and civic leaders have all seen, felt, and experienced a trend of innovation and technology here in our great city. Indianapolis has become a top-tier destination in the technology industry and continues to advance the possibilities of a mid-sized city to attain an international and global presence. And these possibilities are worth celebrating.

Each year, more than half a million people participate in the 500 Festival’s programs and events which showcase the city on a world stage. Race fans, Hoosiers, and everyone can participate in illuminating and celebrating our commitment to innovation by joining in the month-long calendar of events leading up to race weekend. Those events include the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, the IPL 500 Festival Parade, the KeyBank 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, and many more.

The 2018 IPL 500 Festival Parade will take place on Saturday, May 26, with Parade festivities starting at 11:45 am. The 62^nd IPL 500 Festival Parade will be nationally televised on NBC Sports Network and broadcast to the Indianapolis market on WTHR, Channel 13. Tickets for the IPL 500 Festival Parade will be available in spring 2018.

For more information about the IPL 500 Festival Parade, please visit www.500festival.com/parade or search #IPL500Parade on social media.

EDITOR'S NOTE: To download the 2018 IPL 500 Festival Parade theme artwork, click here.

About the 500 Festival

Founded in 1957, the 500 Festival is a not-for-profit organization that produces life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indianapolis 500® and foster 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 or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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