Press release from the city of Asheville:
This Sunday, Feb. 23, 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 Asheland Avenue.
The parade begins on Hilliard Avenue at Asheland Avenue, down south Coxe Avenue and wraps along the streets of Banks and Buxton before returning to Federal Alley to disassemble.
Along with this colorful winter celebration come some traffic and parking impacts. Here is the latest, updated information on those street closures and traffic 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:
Hilliard Avenue, between Asheland and Coxe avenues;
Coxe Avenue, between Hilliard and Buxton;
Buxton Avenue, between Millard and Coxe; and
Banks Avenue, between Church Street and Coxe Avenue.
Other than for ART buses, Hilliard Avenue between Asheland and Coxe avenues will be closed to motorists during this time. 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 “superstition,” 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.
Once the parade concludes, you can party your way to the Funkatorium for the 13th annual Queens Ball. Find more information at https://www.facebook.com/Avlmardigras.
ART buses not affected by parade
Regular public transit services are not expected to be impacted by the parade.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.