INDIANAPOLIS — The 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is less than a month away. Organizers with the 500 Festival are ready to welcome all the excitement and emotion at their annual Kickoff to May event on Wednesday.
Local leaders and Indy 500 representatives will gather on Monument Circle to celebrate the start of a busy season in Indianapolis.
The block party-style event is open to the public and will include food trucks, plenty of chances to take photos with the 500 Festival cars, 500 Festival Princesses, and more. Sponsor booths will be set up along the south half of the circle with giveaways.
Lindsay Labas, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the 500 Festival, says she looks forward to seeing people get excited every year.
“It’s really getting the community out to really celebrate what’s to come,” Labas said. “It’s the first event for us leading into the Month of May, and it’s just a great time to get everybody engaged with that Hoosier spirit.”
Indianapolis sports mascots will compete in a soapbox derby tournament.
The winner of STAR Bank’s “Racing through History” trivia contest will also be announced. They will take home an Indianapolis 500-themed prize package.
Festival organizers are heading into the final stretch before the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon, with an expo this weekend at the Indiana Convention Center.
Labas says it’s their busiest time of the year.
“We’ve got 18 full-time staff who are working year-round to make all of these events happen. We have thousands of volunteers that help us as well, whether it’s community partners, fire, police…we’ve got a ton of community people who have been with us over the years.”
“We’ve got 18 full-time staff that are working year-round to make all of these events happen,” Labas said. “We have thousands of volunteers that help us as well, whether it’s community partners, fire, police. We’ve got a ton of community people who have been with us for over the years.”
The event comes as drivers enter day two of Open Tests at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kickoff to May runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday on Monument Circle.
