Parade and Queen's Ball
Sunday, Feb 19
South Slope

TIME: 3:05 Step Off
LOCATION: South Slope
(See below for more details)

This parade is our gift to the city, a zany, exuberant and irreverent downtown event in the dead of winter.

We invite residents to get together with friends, neighbors, and coworkers to create high-quality, surprising and entertaining entries, add upbeat music, and strut their stuff tossing those ubiquitous beads to the crowd. Zaniness, political satire, and amazing displays of populist art appreciated!

We love and respect our community, and Asheville is not Bourbon Street. Alcohol and nudity are not part of our twist on Mardi Gras in the mountains. We are promoting a fun, safe event for all ages – with a definite emphasis on FUN!

All are welcome to march or cheer on the marchers this February!

ADDITONAL DETAILS

The Theme!

It's our 16th annual official parade and the theme is: Out Of This World! March participants are welcome to riff on this theme or go in a completely different direction because, after all, we're all about individuality!

Members March!

While anyone is welcome to march in the parade, at least one representative of each krewe MUST be a member of Asheville Mardi Gras and must supply one parade volunteer. Keep in mind that the only way the parade survives is through membership support, so if more than one person joins up -- we would certainly appreciate it! To become a member, CLICK HERE.

And, speaking of krewes ...

Join a Krewe!

You’re welcome to march solo, or with a group of your friends, as part of a krewe. You may even be able to join one of our existing krewes! All we ask is that you dress up, show up and bring some goodies like candy or beads to hand out to the parade attendees.

Click here to sign up as a new krewe.

Parade Route

Parade participants will line up along Southside Ave. between 1 PM and 2 PM on parade day. The parade will then step off at its traditional time of 3:05 PM and officially begin when it hits the corner of Southside and Coxe Ave. The parade will then continue north on Coxe, turn right on Buxton, left on S. Lexington, and left on Church St. briefly before turning left on Banks and then left on Coxe again. The parade will head south on Coxe and finish up back at the intersection with Southside Ave.

Parking

All on-street parking along the route will be closed on Sunday. No vehicles will be allowed in or out during this time, and we will be towing cars off the street beginning Sunday morning at 10. We hate to do this, but it’s a safety thing for the participants, spectators, and children involved. Police and parade officials are the only ones that can move barricades. Parking lots on upper Coxe as well as the Sears Alley Deck at 40 Coxe Ave and the Biltmore/Aloft Hotel Garage at 60 S. Lexington Ave will be accessible for customers and for those who live and work in the area. "No Parking Warning" notices will go up beginning on Thurs, Feb 16 so that everyone will have plenty of notice.

Road Closures

Streets along the parade route will formally close to vehicle traffic at 10:00 a.m. Sunday and reopen once clean-up is complete, about 6:00 p.m.

The following streets will be closed: Coxe Ave from Patton to Buxton; Southside Ave from Coxe to Biltmore; S. Lexington from near intersection with Church/Banks to Southside; Church St near intersection with Banks/S. Lex to Southside; Buxton Ave (all); Banks Ave (all); Coxe Ave from Southside to Banks; Millard (all); Collier from Banks to Millard; Federal Alley from Hilliard to Coxe.

Key Times

Streets Closed Time: 10:00 AM-6:00 PM

Line Up Time: 12:00-3:00 PM (Line up takes place on Southside, S. Coxe)

Parade Start Time: 3:05 PM

Parade End Time: 5:00 PM

(Cleanup krewes will follow the parade on foot, and streets will reopen after that.)

Queen’s Ball at the Funkatorium 5:30-10 PM

Previous AMG Parade Themes:

2007 Any Way You Doux It

2008 (First Official Parade) Flash, Class, Or Trash

2009 Rags To Riches (Or Vice Versa)

2010 Wild At Heart