Louisville Basketball Teams to Headline Derby Festival Pegasus Parade
April 11, 2013 | Men's Basketball
April 11, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's and women's basketball teams will serve as Grand Marshals for this year's Republic Bank Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade on May 2.
Both squads are coming off historic runs, as the men's team won its third NCAA championship on Monday with an 82-76 victory over Michigan, while the women's team finished as the national runner-up.
"Having both teams make it to the championship game has rallied our city and we couldn't think of a better way to honor them than asking both teams to participate in what is undeniably one of the biggest events in the city each year," Mike Berry, President and CEO of the Kentucky Derby Festival, said.
The parade also features the school's marching band as its opening act, starting at 5:30 p.m. UofL's cheerleaders and pep squads also are invited to participate in the event.
A limited number of tickets for UofL students are available for $5. To purchase those tickets, students must come to the Kentucky Derby Festival Office at 1001 South Third Street and present their student ID. There is a limit of two tickets per student. Tickets for the public are available now and can be purchased online (www.KDF.org) or by calling the Derby Festival Hotline at (502) 584-FEST. Tickets are $9 for bleacher seats and $11 for chair seating.
Over the past three days, over 150,000 fans have viewed the Tuesday's social media post relating to the invitation and thousands more have shared it.
The theme for this year's parade is "Now, That's Entertainment!" The annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street and features approximately 100 units.
The first Festival event in 1956, the Pegasus Parade remains a community favorite. This single-day event has an estimated economic impact of $14 million.
