NEW ORLEANS – WYES invites the community to indulge in one of New Orleans’ sweetest traditions at the 4th Annual WYES KING CAKE AND CONVERSATION, taking place on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at WYES, 916 Navarre Ave.
The annual event brings together king cake lovers and Carnival enthusiasts for a fun afternoon of sampling, shopping and storytelling. Guests will enjoy tastings from some of the area’s most popular bakeries while diving into the rich history and culture of Mardi Gras. New this year, guests can shop a variety of Mardi Gras merchandise.
Attendees will enjoy king cake samples from Tartine (last year’s People’s Choice Award winner), Caywood & Randazzo’s, Brennan’s, Breads on Oak, Mad Batter Bakery, Terrytown Café, Marguerite’s Cakes, Sweet Life Bakery, Adrian’s Bakery and Caluda’s – with more added daily.
Additional sweet treats and sips provided by Elmer’s Chee Wees, Olde Tyme New Orleans King Cake Syrup and Angelo Brocato Ice Cream & Confectionery.
Guests can also shop Mardi Gras–inspired merchandise and local goods from a wide variety of vendors, including NOLA Shirts, Sparkle and Swag, NOLA Forever, The Fancy Pelican, Glitter Dat NOLA Headpieces, Gifts from the Heart, Arcadia Publishing, Pelican Publishing, Lagniappe Lane, Jolie & Elizabeth, 504 Funk, Two Parties King Cake, Petit Bijou and Orange Purl Designs. Author Matt Haines, creator of “The Big Book of King Cake,” will be on site selling and signing copies of his book.
Three engaging presentations in the Charlie & Janette Kornman Performance Studio will bring lively conversation and deeper insight into Carnival traditions and history throughout the event. At 11:15 a.m., WYES senior producer Peggy Scott Laborde will interview Plush Appeal vice president Alyssa Fletchinger Higgins about the history and evolution of Carnival throws. At 11:45 a.m., Dianne “Gumbo Marie” Honoré, also known as Big Queen with the Yellow Pocahontas Black Masking Indians, will share insight into the rich history of Black Carnival traditions. Then at 12:30 p.m., WYES’ own Carnival historian Errol Laborde will sit down with Arthur Hardy to discuss his retirement after 50 years of producing the “Mardi Gras Guide,” which he and his wife Susan founded in 1977. The conversation will also highlight Hardy’s new documentary, ARTHUR HARDY: OUR MARDI GRAS GUIDE, produced by Dennis Woltering, which premieres on WYES Thursday, Jan. 22, at 7:30 p.m., with additional airdates to follow.
Tickets to WYES KING CAKE AND CONVERSATION are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Purchase tickets at: wyes.org/events.
Proceeds from the event benefit WYES, your local PBS member station, supporting quality public television and educational programming for southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.