INDIANAPOLIS — Tickets to the 2022 AES 500 Festival Parade go on sale at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Tickets are available at 500festival.com/tickets. proceeds will go toward programming for the 500 Festival and events for Hoosier youth and college students.
500 Festival also announced August A. Ebeling will be the grand marshal for this year's parade. Ebeling has long volunteered with the 500 Festival Volunteer Program. In 2016, he was named the 500 Festival Volunteer of the Year.
"Our volunteers are the heart of the 500 Festival, and we are proud to honor Augie as our Grand Marshal, representing each of our incredible volunteers who selflessly give their time and effort to help make the Month of May possible," said 500 Festival President and CEO Bob Bryant.
Ebeling said doctors have given him a presumptive diagnosis of ALS. Fittingly, May is also recognized as ALS Awareness Month.
"I am so honored to be the Grand Marshal of the 500 Festival Parade!" Ebeling said. "To represent all the volunteers and staff for their passionate work with the 500 Festival events, like the Education Program, Mini-Marathon, and the Parade, past, present, and the future is such an awesome honor."
The parade will be Saturday, May 28, with festivities beginning at 11:45 a.m. The parade will start at noon. Tickets are $25 for a reserved seat.
This year's parade route will be shorter than in year's past. It will start at North and Pennsylvania streets in downtown Indianapolis, and end at Meridian and North streets.
More than 200,000 people are expected to line the streets of downtown to witness the return of the May tradition. As always, the parade will feature floats, balloons, marching bands, local celebrities, and the 33 drivers that will race for the Borg Warner trophy at the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500.