Downtown Mobile is once again ringing in the new year with a sweet twist on the traditional ball drop: a giant, edible MoonPie big enough to share with a crowd.
As part of the annual MoonPie Over Mobile celebration on New Year’s Eve, revelers will get the chance to grab a slice of a 154-pound MoonPie, billed as the world’s largest edible version of the beloved Southern snack. The colossal treat is set to be cut and served to the public during the downtown festivities.
The oversized dessert was baked by Chattanooga Bakery, the official MoonPie maker and a sponsor of the event, according to Kinnon Phillips, marketing director for Mobile Events. “This is the world’s largest edible MoonPie,” Phillips said, adding that it is also the final MoonPie the bakery produces for the year.
The scale of the confection is hard to overstate. Phillips said the giant pie took about a day to make and arrived in Mobile on Tuesday ahead of the celebration. The previous year’s version fed more than 170 people, and organizers expect a similar turnout of hungry well-wishers this time around.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson and City Councilman Richardson are slated to make the ceremonial first cut. The first slice is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the courtyard of the Renaissance Riverview Plaza, hours before the signature electric MoonPie descends over the downtown skyline at midnight.
The MoonPie has become the unofficial mascot of Mobile’s New Year’s Eve, a nod to the treat’s deep roots in Gulf Coast Mardi Gras tradition, where MoonPies are tossed from parade floats by the thousands. Turning one into the centerpiece of the year-end countdown has given the port city a quirky, crowd-pleasing signature that draws families downtown each December 31.
Beyond the giant pie, the evening features a full slate of New Year’s Eve entertainment across downtown, with live music, food and the midnight MoonPie drop capping the night. Organizers encourage attendees to arrive early to claim a piece of the record-setting dessert before it disappears.
For anyone looking to start the new year on a sweet note, the message from organizers is simple: come downtown, and don’t miss your slice.