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Sunday, February 19, 2012
This year's theme for the Asheville Mardi Gras Parade is "The Royal Wedding." Everyone is invited to participate in, or simply spectate this family-friendly spectacle. Asheville's Mardi Gras celebration is rapidly growing as more and more sparkles, feathers, and beads show up each year to march in the annual parade.
The parade, led by this year's King and Queen, will be full of dancers, roller skaters, drummers and krewes of colorful characters. The parade starts at 2 PM and marches down Battery Park Avenue, Haywood Street, and Page Avenue.
This parade is an exuberant and irreverent downtown event in the dead of mid-winter. Zaniness, political satire, and amazing displays of populist art appreciated! But Asheville is not Bourbon Street. Alcohol and nudity are not part of this twist on Mardi Gras in the mountains. This is a fun, safe event for all ages.
Interested in being a part of the parade? Gather your krewe of friends, family, classmates or co-workers or just yourself and come be a part of this great event. Feel free to get creative! Art cars and homemade floats are always welcome. Please register them on the Asheville Mardi Gras Facebook groups page.
Bring a camera and be ready to catch beads.
The parade is presented by the Mystic Mountain Krewe, an all-volunteer community based organization made up of New Orleans ex-pats, aficionados of that culture, and okay, some folks who just LOVE a good party! They are an arts and culture group that strengthens community connections through promoting creativity, frivolity and celebration, based on the traditions of New Orleans. Mardi Gras, or Carnival, is an ancient world-wide tradition of feasting and celebrating before entering a time of atonement.
After the parade, come to the Queen’s Ball at Pack Tavern. Shake your groove thang to the sounds of the mighty Snake Oil Medicine Show plus surprise guests!
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