ASHEVILLE – Asheville revelers are rolling out dough, churning ice cream and stocking throws on their floats for the 2024 Mardi Gras season.
Leading up to Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, City Bakery is making traditional king cakes for customers’ celebratory parties.
In the spirit of the holiday’s “Let the good times roll” motto, this year’s King and Queen of Asheville Mardi Gras are preparing to don their crowns and ride out in style for the annual parade through the South Slope before hosting the communitywide Queen’s Ball on Feb. 11.
On the same day, The Hop Ice Cream will release its limited-edition king cake ice cream with real bites of king cake.
King cakes
Mardi Gras made its way from medieval Europe to the U.S. in the early 1700s, according to MardiGrasNewOrleans.com, an official online guide to the holiday.
Mardi Gras began with a small group of people parading through the streets to celebrate the French holiday “Boeuf Gras” ― or fatted calf ― in a new settlement near Mobile, Alabama in 1703. The revelry went to New Orleans and was in full swing by the 1730s.