Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500 takes place May 30, 2027 (race day; on-track activity from around May 18) in Indianapolis, United States. The dress code is Casual and sun-ready - shorts, hat, sunscreen and a cooler. No dress code anywhere; suites and hospitality skew slightly smarter. Typical cost ranges from 150 to 1500 EUR per person.

Indianapolis 500 in Indianapolis, United States
Photograph by Doctorindy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia.

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing: 33 cars, 200 laps of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, run every Memorial Day weekend since 1911 before a crowd approaching a quarter of a million. The rituals are as fixed as the race - Back Home Again in Indiana before the start, the winner drinking milk in victory lane, the kissing of the bricks. Nothing prepares you for the scale of the grandstands or the noise at the green flag.

When
May 30, 2027 (race day; on-track activity from around May 18)
Where
Indianapolis, United States
Dress code
Casual and sun-ready - shorts, hat, sunscreen and a cooler. No dress code anywhere; suites and hospitality skew slightly smarter
Cost
Typical cost ranges from 150 to 1500 EUR per person.
Weather
22 - 28C, warm and humid with a chance of a passing thunderstorm
When to book
Grandstand seats renew with existing holders first and public sales open in the autumn; Indianapolis hotels triple in price, so book 6+ months out
Getting there
IND (Indianapolis), 25 min to venue
Where to stay
Conrad Indianapolis, Bottleworks Hotel, The Alexander
Official site
https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/indy500

How to attend

Buy via the Indianapolis Motor Speedway site. General admission is affordable at roughly the equivalent of EUR 40 - 60 and lets you roam the infield mounds, reserved grandstand seats run higher, and suites and hospitality sit at the top. Fully open to the public with no ballot, though the best grandstand seats are held by renewing season holders. Book accommodation and race-day parking well ahead.

Buy tickets

Insider tip

Go to Carb Day or qualifying weekend as well - tickets are a fraction of race-day prices, you get full garage-area access, and it is the only time you can walk the track apron.

Get inside Indianapolis 500

Booking matters here: grandstand seats renew with existing holders first and public sales open in the autumn; Indianapolis hotels triple in price, so book 6+ months out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.

Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.