Indy 500 Snake Pit tips, schedules, prices, rules and party advice in one guide. Everything you need to survive and enjoy the Indy 500 Snake Pit like a veteran!
Text By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com World Traveler And Party Blogger
Photos By Jack Fleming, Snake Pit veteran and Indy 500 credentialed photographer
This is your ultimate party guide to the infield party at the Indianapolis 500.
For starters, it’s called “The Snake Pit.” And that should set the tone for what is a great American party scene at a great American event on a great American holiday weekend.
The 2026 event is on Sunday, May 24.
But most people at the Indy 500 – more than 100,000 of them – care only about the party scene.
Best For: Party crowds + day drinking
Highlight: Snake Pit party
Vibe: Loud / chaotic / all-day tailgate
But the infield is much more than that, for there’s a waterslide and lots and lots of beer. It’s all enjoyed by fun people who start lining up when the gates open at 7 a.m. The start of the race is 12:45 p.m., Eastern Time.
When you’re in the infield, the roar of the music and the party practically muffles the sound of the race cars, which are screaming around the massive oval track at a neck-whipping 220 miles an hour.
Indy 500 Infield Party Tips, Approved & Prohibited Items
• Admission to the infield is $60 ($65 on race day) and $85 (and $100) to get into the Snakepit. A VIP wristband is $220 in advance, $240 on race day.
• Arrive early; there’s only one way in and one way out to the speedway and the lines to get in are long.
• If you park in the infield, you can bring in a keg of beer! If you park outside the track, then you can bring in coolers, limited in size to 18 x14 x 14. It’s important to note that no ice is sold inside the Speedway and bottles are not allowed. Beer cans, however, are permitted.
• Bring a red wagon or some other wheeled device to haul around your keg or coolers.
• Charcoal grills are allowed. Gas grills are not permitted.
• Bicycles are allowed but selfie sticks are not under IMS policy.
• For those who want to watch, Turn 4 is where they do it; otherwise just dive into the middle of the infield and enjoy the scene.
• Do we need to remind you not to drink and drive and to have a designated driver on this day? You CAN take Uber or Lyft but know it’s a long walk from the gate to the infield and getting a lift out at the end of a long day could prove to be a challenge.
Indy 500 2026 Snake Pit Bands And Race Day Schedule
The 2026 Indy 500 concerts have GRAMMY® Award-winning artist/DJ/producer Zedd. Crankdat, Wooli It’s Murf and Wax Motif will also perform in the Snake Pit.
• Sunday, May 24
– 6 a.m., – Public gates open
–7 a.m. – Snake Pit open
– 8 a.m. – The Borg-Warner Trophy “March to the Bricks”
– 10:30 a.m. – “On The Banks Of The Wabash” (Purdue University Band)
– 11 a.m. – Indy 500 winners laps
– 10:30 a.m. – Cars to the grid
– 11:43 a.m. – “God Bless The USA”
– 12:01 – Driver Introductions
– 12:09 p.m. – Military March
– 12:20 p.m. – Presentation of Colors
– 12:20 p.m. – Invocation
– 12:22 p.m. – Taps
– 12:20 p.m. – “God Bless America”
– 12:26 p.m. – National Anthem
– 12:27 p.m. – Flyover
– 12: 36 p.m. – “Back Home In Indiana (Jim Cornelison)
– 12:38 p.m. – Drivers Start Your Engines
– 12:45 p.m. – 110th running of the Indianapolis 500
– 6 p.m. – Gates close
Link:
Leave a Reply