The parade is the only 500 Festival event that has taken place every year since the 500 Festival's founding in 1957. The 2018 IPL 500 Festival Parade will be held on May 26, the eve of the Indianapolis 500. 300,000 spectators are expected to line the streets of Indianapolis, joined by another one million watching from their televisions around the country, to view one of the nation’s premier parades.

Boy Scouts, Venturers and Explorers only may register to assist with parade seating set-up and tear-down, with an up-close view of the parade in between. All participants must wear their uniform shirt. Participants will receive a 2018 Boy Scout/500 Festival Parade patch.

Units should park and meet at the National Prosthetics Center, 1900 N. Meridian St (the old Crossroads of America Council headquarters building) at 7:00 AM. The event should conclude around 2:30 PM.

Units from outside of the Indianapolis area should consider camping at Belzer before or after the parade to make it a full weekend outing. Visit our year-round camping reservation page for more information.