Marching Bands
AES 500 Festival Parade
For more than 60 years, the AES 500 Festival Parade has celebrated the world’s largest single-day sporting event – the Indianapolis 500. Traditionally held on the day before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the AES 500 Festival Parade is one of the nation’s largest, most-respected parades with a storied tradition of featuring the best bands in America. This spectacular show also includes larger-than-life floats, giant helium balloons, celebrities, and all 33 drivers competing in the Indy 500. The AES 500 Festival Parade is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that band members will never forget!
Bands selected to participate in the AES 500 Festival Parade will perform for the 200,000+ spectators that line the 1.3-mile route, which travels the streets of downtown Indianapolis. The AES 500 Festival Parade is broadcast nationally on Peacock and to the Indianapolis market on WTHR, Channel 13 (NBC affiliate). The entire Parade is also live-streamed with no breakaways via WTHR’s Band Cam – so you’ll never miss a single performer or a moment of pageantry and fanfare.
Apply
Join bands from around the U.S. Whether you’re a high school marching band, military band, drum and bugle corps, or other marching music ensemble, we encourage all types of music groups to apply.
2024 Marching Band Application
2025 Marching Band Application
2026 Marching Band Application
Future Dates
The AES 500 Festival Parade is traditionally held on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
- Saturday, May 25, 2024
- Saturday, May 24, 2025
- Saturday, May 23, 2026
Recent Participating Bands
| 2D Marine Division Band (Camp LeJeune, North Carolina) | Goshen High School Crimson Marching Band (Goshen, IN) | Purdue “All-American” Marching Band, Purdue University (Host Band of the Parade) |
| 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band (Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point) | Graham High School Marching Falcons (St. Paris, OH) | Raven Nation Marching Band, Sussex Technical High School (Georgetown, DE) |
| Navy Band Great Lakes | Great Bridge High School Marching Wildcats (Chesapeake, VA) | Speedway 500 Regiment (Speedway, IN) |
| 38th Infantry Division Band, Indiana National Guard | Hampton High School Marching Band (Allison Park, PA) | Springfield High School “Blue Devil” Marching Band (Holland, OH) |
| All-Madison County Marching Band (IN) | Highland High School Marching Band (Anderson, IN) | Sumnr High School Marching Band (Sumner, WA) |
| All-Marshall County Marching Band (IN) | Indianapolis Public Schools All City Marching Band (IN) | Taylor High School “Marching Titans” (Kokomo, IN) |
| Anthony Wayne Marching Generals (Whitehouse, OH) | Jay County High School Marching Patriots (Portland, IN) | The Big Red Machine, Crestview High School (Crestview, FL) |
| Avon Marching Black and Gold (Avon, IN) | Kaufman High School Roaring Lion Band (Kaufman, TX) | The Lewis Cass Marching Kings (Walton, IN) |
| Belleville West Marching Maroons (Belleville, IL) | Kokomo High School Marching WildKats (Kokomo, IN) | The Marching Milers, Noblesville High School (Noblesville, IN) |
| Boardman Spartan Marching Band (Youngstown, OH) | Lafayette Jefferson Marching Broncos (Lafayette, IN) | The Marching Rebels, South Spencer High School (Rockport, IN) |
| Cabell Midland Marching Knights (Ona, WV) | Louisburg High School Marching Wildcat Band (Louisburg, KS) | The Orleans Bulldog Regiment (Orleans, IN) |
| Centerville Blue Regiment (Centerville, IN) | Marching Giants, Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis) | The Pride of DeSoto Central (Southaven, MS) |
| Chartiers Valley Showband (Bridgeville, PA) | Muncie Central High School “Spirit of Muncie” Band and Guard (Muncie, IN) | Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps (Casper, WY) |
| Clearfield High School Bison Band (Clearfield, PA) | National Band Association – Indiana All-Star Marching Band | Twin Lakes High School Marching Band (Monticello, IN) |
| Conant Marching Band (Hoffman Estates, IL) | New Castle Trojan Marching Band (New Castle, IN) | Valders High School Marching Band (Valders, WI) |
| Concord High School Marching Minutemen (Elkhart, IN) | North Harrison Marching Band (Ramsey, IN) | West Aurora High School Blackhawk Marching Band (Aurora, IL) |
| Concordia Lutheran High School Marching Cadets (Fort Wayne, IN) | Northwestern High School Tiger Pride Band (Kokomo, IN) | Western High School Marching Panthers (Russiaville, IN) |
| Decatur Central High School Marching Band (Indianapolis) | NorthWood High School Red Regiment (Nappanee, IN) | Whitehall Yearling Marching Ram Band (Whitehall, OH) |
| Downingtown High School “Blue and Gold” Marching Band (Exton, PA) | Norwell High School Marching Band (North Ossia, IN) | Winchester Community High School “The FORCE” (Winchester, IN) |
| Fairfield High School “Marching Pride” (Goshen, IN) | Oakcrest High School Marching Band (Mays Landing, NJ) | Wyandotte Marching Chiefs, Roosevelt High School (Wyandotte, MI) |
| Fishers High School Tiger Band (Fishers, IN) | Olivet High School Marching Band (Olivet, MI) | Zionsville High School Marching Band (Zionsville, IN) |
| Forest Park Marching Rangers (Ferdinand, IN) | Pride of Paoli Marching Band (Paoli, IN) | |
| George Rogers Clark High School Marching Band (Winchester, KY) | Purdue “All-American” Alumni Marching Band, Purdue University |
History
Two bands have participated in every AES 500 Festival Parade that has taken place since its inception in 1957.
- The Purdue “All-American” Marching Band serves as the Parade’s host band, assisting with band recruitment and Race Weekend details. Traditionally, the Purdue Band is the first band to appear in the AES 500 Festival Parade lineup.
- The Speedway 500 Regiment Band, representing Speedway High School, they are the only band allowed to wear the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Wing & Wheel logo on their uniform. Traditionally, the Speedway 500 Regiment Band is the final band to appear in the AES 500 Festival Parade lineup.
Contact
Questions about marching band participation? Contact paradeinfo@500festival.com.