As the holidays have officially come to a close, many New Orleanians are counting down the days to the real holiday: Mardi Gras. And although Fat Tuesday is still a few weeks away, this weekend will mark the beginning of carnival season; for some, that also spells out the reemergence of one of our city’s most treasured treats. Behold the king cake.

Bywater Bakery is hosting an all-day celebration touted as the “Twelfth Night Mardi Gras Mambo” this Saturday, January 6, to kick off carnival and king cake season. The event falls on Three Kings’ Day, where king cake is traditionally eaten in honor of Epiphany, or Twelfth Night, which historically marks the arrival of the three kings in Bethlehem who delivered gifts to the baby Jesus. The famous plastic baby hidden inside the king cake is a nod to the biblical story.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. and go on until 7 p.m., with performances by Davis Rogan, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Josh Paxton, Monty Banks, Nathan Rivera and Milly Raccoon. “Twelfth Night Mardi Gras Mambo” will also feature artwork by Karen Ocker and Peter Horjus.

And of course, there will be cake! The most traditional king cake is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough topped with icing, but there will be an opportunity to taste eight different flavors of the famous Bywater Bakery king cake.

Ring in carnival 2018 at Bywater Baker (3624 Dauphine St.) and enjoy music and artwork from local artists, while trying some of the best king cake the city has to offer! For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.