Purdue All-American Marching Band celebrates 100th appearance at the Indy 500 Festival Parade

The Purdue All-American Marching Band celebrated their 100th appearance at the Indy 500 in 2019.

Purdue’s All-American Marching Band appeared for their 100th time in the Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2019. The Purdue Alumni band also joined in the performance.

While race fans across the world watched the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend, Boilermakers watched with an added dose of pride as the Purdue Marching Band, led by Golden Girl Kaitlyn Schleis, appeared in the parade that precedes the race.

Performing before an audience of nearly 400,000, the Purdue Marching Band is popular with fans who take commemorative pictures of the band considering it a fundamental part of the lineup of celebrities.

With no music school, Purdue is an anomaly among universities. Participation in the marching band is voluntary with no academic credit available for students. The fact that Purdue’s band has been chosen to play an integral role musically at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the past 100 years makes a profound statement as to the band’s talents, commitment and attraction.

To learn more about Purdue Bands & Orchestras, visit their website, purdue.edu/bands and follow them on Instagram @PurdueBands.

This story was originally published in our Perspectives publication in the Fall of 2019. To view the full issue, please visit our Perpectives page.