2021 Indy 500 parade canceled in downtown Indianapolis
Hundreds of thousands of fans any given year flock downtown in May to watch the Indy 500 Festival Parade.
This year, the parade is coming to the fans.
The in-person AES 500 Festival Parade has been canceled again this year to ensure the healthy and safety of participants and fans, the parade’s organization announced Tuesday.
In lieu of the spectacle, the 33 starting drivers will instead cruise through Indianapolis neighborhoods to greet fans May 29.
The caravan of cars, or “reverse parade,” will begin in Speedway, snake through downtown Indianapolis then head to neighborhoods, according to a news release.
Residents are asked to decorate their homes in May with race-themed décor and submit their addresses in a digital map for fellow fans to drive by and see, similar to holiday light displays. Details on how to participate in the “500 Spectacle of Homes” will be shared soon, festival leaders said.
Home submissions may have an opportunity to win Month of May prizes.
“This is a terrific way for fans to celebrate the Month of May and the Indy 500,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said in a statement. “Porch parties have become popular in recent years and are an example of the intense community spirit we have for IMS and its events.”
This is the second year the traditional parade has been canceled. Festival officials last year postponed the spring event to a scaled-down, drive-by parade in August. The 500 Festival parade is one of the nation’s top three parades, according to the event’s website, trailing only behind the Rose Parade in California and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The parade draws more than 300,000 spectators downtown.
Ticket-holders will be contacted by 500 Festival staff this week.
The festival organization also announced the cancellation of the following in-person events: The 500 Festival Kids’ Day, Rookie Run, 500 Festival Off the Grid and the 500 Festival & Indianapolis 500 Education Program. Changes to each event can be found here.
Contact Sarah Nelson at [email protected] or 317-503-7514.
