The 2015 Pegasus Parade will go down Broadway this Thursday, April 30th. The Pegasus Parade is the oldest Kentucky Derby Festival event. It is a parade down Broadway from Campbell to 9th Street. The Pegasus Parade is held annually on the Thursday before the Kentucky Derby. The Pegasus Parade features colorful floats, marching bands, giant inflatables, and celebrities.
Past Parade Themes
1956 “Pegasus Parade”
1957 “Famous Horses”
1958 “This Is Kentucky”
1959 “Famous Songs”
1960 “Famous Firsts”
1961 “Civil War Centennial”
1962 “Our American Heritage”
1963 “Great Adventures”
1964 “Happy Holidays”
1965 “Fairy Tales – Nursery Rhymes”
1966 “Festival Days ‘Round The World”
1967 Parade cancelled
1968 “Great Moments In American History”
1969 “The Wonderful World Of Music”
1970 “Rediscover America”
1971 “America The Beautiful”
1972 “Broadway On Parade”
1973 “Great Books”
1974 “Remember The Year”
1975 “The Land Of Make-Believe”
1976 “The American Dream”
1977 “A Child’s Dream”
1978 “Leisure Time”
1979 “World Of Entertainment”
1980 “Silver Celebration”
1981 “A Parade Of Festivals”
1982 “America, Kentucky-Style”
1983 “Springtime Magic”
1984 “America’s Tradition – Hometown USA”
1985 “The Magic Of Make-Believe”
1986 “The Whole World’s Getting Together”
1987 “Reflections of America”
1988 “Headed For The Future”
1989 “Festival: A Magic Moment In Time”
1990 “Festival: 35th Celebration”
1991 “Kentucky Derby Festival?: Vision Of The ‘90s”
1992 “Celebrate Kentucky”
1993 “All for Fun, Fun for All!!”
1994 “Forever Young”
1995 “Magical Visions…Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!”
1996 “Through a Child’s Eyes”
1997 “Frontiers Across the Centuries”
1998 “Hollywood on Broadway”
1999 “Music. . . That’s Entertainment”
2000 “Crowning Achievements”
2001 “A Galaxy of Fun”
2002 “Thrill of the Game”
2003 “The Spirit of Adventure”
2004 “Broadway Toon Town”
2005 “Rockin @ 50”
2006 “Once Upon A Toy”
2007 “Wonders, Wizards and Wands”
2008 “A World of Possibilities”
2009 “Destinations & Discoveries”
2010 “Spring Fever Reliever”
2011 “Heroic Adventures”
2012 “Family, Fun & Games”
2013 “Now That’s Entertainment”
2014 “Call of the Wild”
2015 “The Best of Louisville,”
Past Parade Grand Marshals
1956 Tom Young, Superintendent of Churchill Downs
1957 Maj. Gen. John L. Ryan
1958 Dr. Phillip Davidson
1959 Maj. Gen. W. Paul Johnson
1960 Raymond Burr
1961 Dwayne Hickman
1962 Maj. Gen. J. E. Bastion
1963 Michael Landon
1964 Joe E. Brown, Edie Adams, Liberace
1965 Alan Hale, Jr.
1966 Robert Conrad
1967 Dale Robertson (Parade cancelled)
1968 Jimmy Ellis
1969 Fess Parker
1970 Peter Graves
1971 Ed Asner
1972 Lorne Greene [Grand Marshalls 2]
1973 Rod Steiger
1974 Lynn Stone
1975 Joe B. Hall, Denny Crum
1976 John Wayne [Grand Marshalls 1]
1977 Col. Harland Sanders
1978 Foster Brooks
1979 Phyllis George
1980 Darrell Griffith, Kyle Macy
1981 Muhammad Ali
1982 Gov. A. B. “Happy” Chandler
1983 Bill Monroe
1984 Diane Sawyer
1985 Rosemary Clooney
1986 Ricky Skaggs
1987 Ned Beatty
1988 Annie Potts
1989 Danny Sullivan
1990 John Forsythe
1991 Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf [Grand Marshalls 3]
1992 William Shatner
1993 Gladys Knight
1994 Willard Scott
1995 Pat Day, Terry Wilcutt
1996 Coach Rick Pitino
1997 Captain Scott O’Grady
1998 Gloria Stuart
1999 Loretta Lynn
2000 Tori Murden-McClure & Miss America Heather Renee French
2001 Buzz Aldrin & Denny Crum
2002 Winter Olympic Bronze Medalists: U.S. Bobsled Team
2003 Little League World Series Champions: Valley Sports American
2004 Cathy Guisewite: Creator of “Cathy” comic strip
2005 Chubby Checker
2006 Muhammad Ali
2007 Mickey Mouse (Grand Magician: Mac King)
2008 Bobby Flay (Honorary Grand Marshal: Patrick Henry Hughes)
2009 Professional golf Kenny Perry and his father, Ken
2010 Diane Lane and Penny Chenery
2011 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients: World War II veteran Hershel “Woody” Williams of West Virginia; Korean War veteran Ernie West of Russell, Ky.; Vietnam War veteran Gary Littrell of Henderson, Ky; and Vietnam War veteran Don Jenkins of Quality, Ky. (Honorary Grand Marshals: Bellarmine University’s NCAA Division II men’s national champion basketball team)
2012 Cyndi Lauper
2013 University of Louisville Men’s & Women’s Basketball Teams
2014 Actor Josh Hopkins, Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin
2015 Teddy Bridgewater
