Here's what you need to know about parking, tickets and entertainment at Indy Pride

Indy Pride 2023 is almost here, and this year's events include a Saturday packed full of performances, parades and more.

While Indy Pride hosts events all month, the highlights are the annual festival and parade, which feature a slate of LGBTQ+ artists, performers and community figures.

Indy Pride Festival 2023 will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Military Park, located at 601 W. New York St., and will feature performances from rapper Saucy Santana, singer Deborah Cox, drag queens Jorgeous, Vanjie and Morgan McMichaels and more.

From what to bring, where to park and how to make the most out of the celebration, here's your guide to navigating the day.

How can I purchase tickets to the Indy Pride festival?

Tickets for this weekend's festival are available on Indy Pride’s website or at bit.ly/42ojTnv. General admission tickets are $10, with a $12 pay-it-forward option that includes one ticket for the buyer and one given to a local nonprofit. Group discounts are also available.

VIP tickets are $100 and include access to a VIP area and designated restrooms and bars. A cabana package, which includes 10 general admission tickets and a reserved cabana with tables and chairs, is $600.

How can I attend the 2023 Indy Pride parade?

The 2023 Indy Pride Parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and run until noon along Massachusetts Avenue from College Avenue to Delaware Street. Entrance to the parade does not require the purchase of a ticket.

Grand marshals for this year's parade are parents of transgender youth and Dave Hochoy, who, after 30 years as artistic director for Dance Kaleidoscope, retires this month. Indy Pride has not yet released a full lineup of parade participants.

Expect roads around Massachusetts Avenue to close to accommodate the parade. Regular city parking options will still be available, except for closures along the parade route.

What can I bring to Indy Pride events?

Indy Pride has implemented a new clear bag policy ahead of this year’s events. Clear plastic bags within the acceptable size range are allowed, as are smaller purses or clutches. All bags will be subject to search, per the guidelines.

Water stations will be scattered throughout festival grounds. While smoking is prohibited, attendees can receive a pass to smoke outside the festival and be readmitted.

Here’s what you can bring:

• Clear plastic or vinyl bags not exceeding 12” x 6” x 12”

• Small bags not exceeding 4.5” x 6.5”

• Clear plastic freezer bags

• Empty clear plastic hydration packs

• Strollers

• Chairs

• Flags

• Binoculars

• Cameras

• Sunscreen

• One unopened, non-alcoholic beverage

• Coolers smaller than 14” x 9” x 14” (for medical purposes only)

• Food items (for medical purposes only)

• Service animals

• Medication

And what you can’t:

• Aerosol products (sunscreen is OK)

• Coolers larger than 14” x 9” x 14”

• Outside food or beverages (excluding one unopened, non-alcoholic drink)

• Glass containers

• Pepper spray or similar products

• Cigarettes, vaporizers or other smoking materials

• Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, skates, hoverboards, Segways

• Drones

• Fireworks

Where can I park for Indy Pride?

Passes are available for the Gate 10 parking lot, located at 345 W. McCarty St. The lot, near the south entrance of Lucas Oil Stadium, is a little more than a mile from Military Park and about a mile and a half from Massachusetts Avenue.

Passes for cars, trucks and SUVs are $20, while passes for 15-passenger vans and larger are $30. You can purchase a pass at bit.ly/43MjlJf.

Attendees are required to show an email confirming their pass purchase to the attendant upon arriving. A shuttle service will transport attendees from Gate 10 to the parade, to the festival and back to the lot.

Who is performing at the Indy Pride festival?

Performances and activities will occur throughout the day, with music artists and DJs on the Main Stage and DJ Stage and more events on the Community Stage. Here’s when and where you can catch every act:

Indy music: Saucy Santana, Deborah Cox to headline 2023 Indy Pride Festival celebrating LGBTQ+ community

1-800-Quit Now Main Stage

• DJ FATE: 11 a.m.

• National Anthem: Noon

• Indianapolis Men’s Chorus: 12:22 p.m.

• Party Favors: 12:39 p.m.

• Public Universal Friend: 1:15 p.m.

• Maude Latour: 1:57 p.m.

• Afternoon Drag Show: 2:43 p.m.

• i.V King: 3:45 p.m.

• Son De Esquina: 4:30 p.m.

• The Palace: 5:22 p.m.

• Evening Drag Show: 6:07 p.m.

• Of Montreal: 7:35 p.m.

• Deborah Cox: 8:25 p.m.

• Saucy Santana: 9:15 p.m.

• DJ Big Baby: 10 p.m.

Harrah’s Hoosier Park DJ Stage

• DJ Axipitor: 12:05 p.m.

• Micromachine: 1:20 p.m.

• DJ Mary Jane: 2:30 p.m.

• Jackola: 3:30 p.m.

• DJ B.A.E.: 4:30 p.m.

• Annie D: 5:30 p.m.

• Deanne: 6:30 p.m.

• Hector Fonseca: 8 p.m.

• Wreckno: 9:30 p.m.

Community Stage

• Indy Pride Karaoke: 12:05 p.m.

• Family Time with The Rainbow and Drag Queen Story Hour: 1:10 p.m.

• Footlite Musicals: 2:48 p.m.

• Beatty and the Bayonets: 3:06 p.m.

• Jennasen: 3:44 p.m.

• InDanza Dance Company: 4:19 p.m.

• Community Stage Drag Show: 4:27 p.m.

• Chris Housman: 5:14 p.m.

• Rock Garage Bands: 5:59 p.m.

Contact Pulliam Fellow Heather Bushman at HBushman@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @hmb_1013.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2023 Indy Pride parade and festival: What to know before you go