The MoonPie is the giant illuminated object lowered in downtown Mobile, Alabama, on New Year's Eve.
Mobile's New Year's Eve celebration includes the lowering of a large MoonPie replica at midnight. The event reflects the city's long association with the snack cake, which consists of marshmallow between two round graham crackers and covered in chocolate or another coating. A giant MoonPie is a playful local alternative to the more widely known ball drops.
Mobile has deep Mardi Gras traditions, and the MoonPie is strongly associated with that regional culture. MoonPies have been produced by the Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee since 1917, but the brand became especially familiar across the American South.
The New Year's object is sometimes mistaken for a generic cake or biscuit because of its size and shape. It is specifically a MoonPie, and its appearance in Mobile should not be confused with the city's Mardi Gras parades, which take place during a different season.