This. Is. May.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to start your Indianapolis 500 festivities! May is one of the best times to be an Indianapolis resident. The weather is wonderful, downtown comes to life and the city's biggest event races into action. We've put together this local guide to the Indy 500 for everyone trying to celebrate the race - travelers and residents alike.
FOR THE DIE-HARDS
May 16 & 17 - Qualifying Weekend
If you're a hardcore IndyCar fan, the qualifying weekend can have almost as much emotional turmoil as the race itself. In the shuffle, you might have heard some new terms, so we made a lil glossary.
Pole Day - The final day of the qualifying weekend time trials is known as "Pole Day". Whoever has the fastest time trial of the day wins the "pole position", or the person at the inside of the front row at the start of the race.
Bump Day - The first day of qualifying is known as "Bump Day", or when slower drivers who originally qualified may be "bumped" out of their position and not race on race day.
On-The-Bubble - The slowest racer qualified before Bump Day is "on-the-bubble". If a faster driver ends up qualifying for the race, the slowest driver is "bumped" off the roster of racers.
Active duty military personnel with valid military ID receive free gate admission during the qualifying weekend.
Use that PTO and go to Carb Day. It's racing. It's rock 'n roll. It's pure bliss. Start the party with Kid Quill, Gin Blossoms, and George Thorogood and The Destroyers.
Meet your favorite Indy 500 veterans and star drivers!
FOR THE PARTY PEOPLE
Secure your tickets to the Legends Day concert at Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park with Midland, Bayker Blankenship, and Ashland Craft.
Undeniably the biggest party during the 500, The Snake Pit is notorious for being a cesspool of sin. That sounds perfect to us. The hellscape has history, though, dating back to the 1960s and 70s. Now, it's just an EDM party for the ages. This year's lineup features powerhouses, including Illenium, Kayzo, Oliver Heldens, Two Friends, and Sammy Wirji.
Coke Lot Parties (Thursday - Sunday)
Oh dear god. If you're partying in the Coke Lot on race weekend, please be careful, you heathens. This three-day-lawless-f*ck-it-all celebration of all things vile starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday in the large RV/camping lot adjacent to the track. Expect lots of nudity, puke, and lord knows what else.
FOR THE FAM
Photo via No Mean City
Get ready for food, drink, kids' activities, and a whole lot of fun at Rockin' on Main in downtown Speedway. This annual festival celebrates Speedway outside of the track and allows families to traverse Main Street before the insanity of race weekend really begins. Oh, did we mention it's free?
It would be a cardinal sin for us NOT to include the parade on this list. The largest parade in Indy takes over the downtown streets for a day packed with activities and things to do on the side streets branching off from the route.
GETTING THERE (AND BACK)
So, here's the thing. Getting to and from the track is hell. Traffic is a mess. You won't have cell reception. Uber and Lyft crash every year. A taxi? HA. Every part of the race is great except for this. None of these solutions are perfect, but hopefully, they'll relieve some of the stress of getting to the track and back home safely.
Road Closures
Oh, you thought you could just take 16th Street from downtown to the track? You silly goose! Of course, you can't! Georgetown Road? Nope! 10th Street??? Hahahahhahahah, no.
On race day, pretty much every road in and out of Speedway will be closed to through traffic. Your best bet? Just don't drive. The ride share apps will work during the morning and have designated routes, making the ride a (fairly) smooth sail.
Get There Early
Gates open at 6 AM with a bravado of cannon fire. This is the absolute best time to get to the track. Yes, you will have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn, but it's all part of the experience!
Don't plan to line up on the streets to wait for the cannons; you will be shoo'd away by IPD. Instead, find a side street or business parking lot to park and pre-game with strangers who will ultimately become your neighbors if you're parking and partying in the infield. Since the cannons go off at 6, you should plan to arrive in the neighborhood by 5. That means leaving your house by 4:30 at the latest. Yep.
Parking
Most residents near the track will allow parking in their yards for a fee, but again - you gotta get there early. Pack a cooler with wheels to make the walk into the track easier, and wear good walking shoes!
But honestly, we strongly recommend parking in the infield and setting up camp for the day. Not only do you have a home base to meet up with friends throughout the day, but you also get to bring all the luxuries of car camping (gas grill, lawn chairs, popup tent, limitless snacks, and drinks) those suckers walking in on foot have to leave behind.
Get fit before you get drunk with the Bike To The 500 event. It's police escorted, meaning you get to glide past all the poor people sitting in LA-style traffic while getting your bike stored in a monitored location. Suckers.
Don't even think about trying to bring your bike in the track, though — they aren't allowed through the gates. Unless you want to chain it up among all the terrifying drunk people, don't do it. Trust us. Just buy the ticket.
Shuttle Buses
Buy a roundtrip ticket for the official IMS shuttle service and you'll be good to go to and from the track. They pick up at two places: The Indianapolis International Airport and the Hampton Inn Hotel downtown.
TIPS + TRICKS
What To Bring And What Not To Bring
Bring: food & drinks
Skip the long lines and high prices and bring your own food and drinks! As long as your cooler isn't larger than 18x15x15, you can bring all the booze and food you want. Just no glass containers!
Bring: sunblock
No, you are not invincible. We will not pity the fool if you don't wear sunscreen.
Bring: a DD
There's nothing like partying in the infield. But when the race is over and it's time to go home, you need a sober driver to get behind the wheel and take your drunk ass home. Don't let this be an afterthought.
Bring: a flag or other landmark for your campsite.
If you're camping in the infield and meeting up with friends, you're gonna need a way to help them find you in a literal sea of tents.
Don't bring: cigarettes
Smoking is also not allowed in the stands. It's controversial, yes, but it's also good for your health.
Don't bring: pets
For the good of literally everyone, leave Fido at home. Service animals are allowed, of course!
Here's the full list of permitted and non-permitted items.
Did we miss something important? Let us know at [email protected]!
Are you hosting a 500-themed event that should be listed? Let us know at [email protected]!
