Try dozens of different king cake by the slice at a roving party at New Orleans bars

For king cake fanatics, any Carnival season arrives with the knowledge that there is only so much time to sample the range before Fat Tuesday brings the curtain down. This season, that time is especially short, with an early Mardi Gras making every chance for king cake that much more important.

So it's good news that a roving event called King Cake Fe(a)st is back this year. It brings the chance to sample from among dozens of different cakes by the slice, with the contours of a self-guided king cake tasting party.

King Cake Fe(a)st is held at a progression of local bars and taprooms each Thursday over the next four weeks (details below).

It gathers more than 30 vendors selling king cake by the slice or whole and king cake-inspired goodies (cookies, pie, macarons, etc.). There is also a wide spectrum of king cake-themed creations, like jewelry, home décor and costumes pieces.

“Anything you can think of, there’s a king cake version of it,” said co-founder Jillian Duran, of the local pop-up Rahm Haus Ice Cream, which will have its own range of king cake-inspired treats on hand.

“Last year, my favorite changed every time. It’s crazy the things people do with king cake,” she said.

Some king cake producers have become household names around the New Orleans area. But King Cake Fe(a)st takes a different approach to its roster.

The list of vendors is impressive not just for the numbers involved at each edition, but also for the deep dive it gives into the world of small, independent bakers working around the area.

Duran worked with Chelsea Nauratan-Burgos of Sticky Fingers Dough Co. to create King Cake Fe(a)st last Carnival season. This year, they’ve rounded up (and often recruited) a highly diverse range of vendors composed of pop-ups and many home-based bakers.

The events give them a chance to reach a broader potential customer base. They give visitors an easy way to check out their ideas for king cake side by side and taste through as much as they’d like by the slice.

“Come prepared,” is the advice from Duran. “People bring bags or Tupperware to bring slices home. I saw people filling lasagna trays to bring home slices and have their own party with friends. King cake is always social.”

There’s live music at each edition, and of course drinks at the bars.

Here are the dates and details for King Cake Fe(a)st: 

• Jan. 11 at Courtyard Brewery (1160 Camp St.) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Jan. 18 at Bayou Wine Garden/Bayou Beer Garden (326 N. Norman C. Francis Parkway) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Jan. 25 at The Rabbit Hole (1228 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Feb. 1 back at Bayou Wine Garden/Bayou Beer Garden from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Duran started her Rahm Haus Ice Cream brand during the pandemic. She stepped away from it last year as she became pastry chef at Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails. She’s since left that Metairie restaurant and Rahm Haus is back full time.

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