This Sunday, March 3, the Asheville Mardi Gras Parade returns to the South Slope.
The parade begins at 3 p.m. Lineup and float assembly will take place in surface parking lots along Federal Alley. The parade will assemble on Federal Alley, make a quick turnaround Hilliard Avenue and formally begin at the top of Coxe Avenue at Hilliard Avenue.
The parade begins as it heads south on Coxe Avenue and wraps along the streets of Banks and Buxton before returning to Federal Alley to disassemble. See the parade route map below.
Along with this colorful winter celebration come some traffic and parking impacts.
Street closures
Streets along the parade route will formally close to vehicle traffic at noon Sunday and reopen once clean-up is complete, about 6 p.m. Closures will include:
- Coxe Avenue, between Hilliard and Millard;
- Buxton Avenue, between Millard and Coxe; and
- Banks Avenue, between Church Street and Coxe Avenue.
Hilliard Avenue and Federal Alley will not be fully closed but motorists should expect temporary traffic delays during line-up at the start of the parade, and tear down at the end of the parade.
Parking
All off-street parking along the parade route will be closed on Sunday — towing enforced. The City’s bright yellow NO PARKING signs will go up along the streets on Friday as advance notice of the Sunday closure.
Those who park in private lots along the parade route should plan accordingly.
Planning ahead for parking is strongly recommended. Parking garages within easy walking distance are the Biltmore Avenue/Aloft Hotel parking garage at 60 S. Lexington Ave. and the Coxe Avenue parking garage at 40 Coxe Ave.
For more options, download the Asheville App to your cellphone for its Find Parking feature, which gives real-time information on parking space availability at all downtown City and County parking garages.
Note for attendees
Several South Slope establishments are planning special events before and after. With this year’s theme being Wild Wild Asheville it’s sure to be a lot of fun!
There is a request for no spectators on Hilliard Avenue. There will be no beads or throws within that section.
ART buses not affected by parade
Regular public transit services are not expected to be impacted by the parade.
