LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Derby Festival is kicking off a celebration of spring with a parade that will tour 30 area neighborhoods early next month.
This year's Zoeller Pump Company Touring Parade will take place on Saturday, April 2. Beginning at 9 a.m., about a dozen floats and exhibits will travel through several miles and several neighborhoods, rain or shine, and residents are encouraged to decorate their homes.
"We want the entire community to feel a part of the Derby Festival celebration," said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival president and CEO. "Traveling around the city helps us reach fans in a whole new way. We hope to see everyone lining their sidewalks again this year as we kick off our month-long celebration."
The schedule for the parade is below:
- 9 a.m. - Parade leaves the Kentucky Exposition Center (en route to Zoeller Pump Company)
- 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Taylor-Berry, North Shively
- 10 a.m. - Noon - Hallmark, Park DuValle, Parkland, Chickasaw, Shawnee, Russell
- Noon - 2 p.m. - Parkland, California, Limerick, Old Louisville, Smoketown/Shelby Park, Germantown, Highlands, Tyler Park, Deer Park, Belknap, Hayfield Dundee.
- 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Bashford Manor, Newburg, Highview, Okolona, Auburndale
- 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Kenwood Hills, Iroquois Park, Coverleaf, Hazelwood, Beechmont, Highland Park
Timing of the parade is contingent on traffic and logistics. It will be traveling at about 15 mph.
To find out more about the parade route, click here.
The parade will include four inflatable balloon characters, as well as specialty units such as the Kosair Shriner's Calliope and TARC's Design-a-Bus. KDF's Royal Court and 2022 Derby Festival Board Chair Mike Shea will also be on-hand.
Residents are invited to decorate their homes and line the sidewalks as the parade tours the community. Fans can share images of the parade on social media using the hashtags #KyDerbyFestival and #LouisvilleLove.
Other upcoming events include Thunder Over Louisville, returning to the riverfront on Saturday, April 23. The Zoeller Pump Company Pegasus Parade is returning to its traditional route on Broadway on Sunday, May 1, to kick off Kentucky Derby week instead of the Thursday before Derby. This year's Pegasus Parade theme is "Loving Louisville."
Kentucky Derby Festival members and Zoeller Pump Company employees announce the theme of "Loving Louisville" for the 2022 Pegasus Parade. Feb. 14, 2022. Image courtesy Kentucky Derby Festival.
The first Pegasus Parade produced in 1956 was organized by just a handful of volunteers on a budget of $640. It has become one of the Festival’s largest events with an estimated economic impact of more than $22 million.
Festival events run from March 16 through Oaks Day, May 6, 2022. To stay up to date on any changes and if new events are added, visit KDF.org.
"At Zoeller, we are looking forward to traveling around the community with the Derby Festival again and getting everyone excited for all the upcoming events," said Dwight C. Newton, Zoeller Pump Company's chief people officer. "For more than 83 years, the Zoeller Company has called Louisville home. We love this city and all of our Team members, customers, suppliers and shareholders."
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