| Peach Drop | |
|---|---|
 Peach Drop tower in Underground Atlanta | |
| Genre | New Year's Eve event |
| Date | December 31 – January 1 |
| Frequency | Annually (1989–2019) |
| Locations | Underground Atlanta, Woodruff Park (2018 only) |
| Inaugurated | 1989 |
Most recent | 2025 |
| Attendance | Around 60,000 (annually)1 |
| Organized by | Underground Atlanta |
The Peach Drop was a New Year's Eve event held in Atlanta, Georgia. Traditionally held in Underground Atlanta, the event featured the lowering of a large peach sculpture down a 138 feet (42 m) tower, symbolizing Georgia's identity as the "Peach State".
The event was held in Underground Atlanta from 1989 to 2017, and then moved to Woodruff Park for 2018 before returning to Underground Atlanta for 2019. The event was cancelled for 2020 due to the sale of Underground Atlanta and other logistical issues, as well as 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Peach Drop successfully returned for 2023, but was cancelled again for 2024 to "re-evaluate" the event; in October 2024, the city reached an agreement with Live Nation Entertainment to produce the event for 2025. The event was then cancelled again due to public safety concerns regarding large crowds downtown, and replaced with "decentralized" drone and firework shows for 2026.
History
The Peach Drop was inaugurated on December 31, 1989 to celebrate the new decade.2 From 1989 through 2017, the event was held at Underground Atlanta. The tower from which the peach descends is located in Underground Atlanta and stands at 138 feet (42 m). The peach, constructed of fiberglass and foam, is 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and weighs approximately 800 pounds (360 kg).3
The Drop was moved to the Flatiron Building for the 2018 celebration with festivities held at Woodruff Park after Underground Atlanta was sold to a private developer.4 For 2019, the event returned to Underground Atlanta.5
The 2020 Peach Drop was cancelled in order to re-evaluate and expand the event. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms stated that the sale of Underground Atlanta complicated the event, and previous year's return for 2019 lacked "the thought and consideration and resources we should give an event."6 The 2021 and 2022 Peach Drop events were cancelled for the second and third consecutive years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.78
The Peach Drop returned to Underground Atlanta for 2023.9 Despite this, the Peach Drop was once again canceled for 2024. Citing a focus on Atlanta's commemorations for the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music, a spokesman commented "while a worthy tradition in the past, the Peach Drop has not been an annual event since 2018. Each year is different and we can always re-evaluate next year."10
In October 2024, the city approved an agreement to tender production of the Peach Drop to Live Nation Entertainment, resulting in its return for 2025. It was stated that the partnership would allow for improvements to the event's production and featured musical acts; the 2025 event would be headlined by Atlanta native Big Boi and rock band Neon Trees.111213
The Peach Drop was retired again for 2026, with the city replacing it with a new event known as "Countdown over ATL" —consisting of drone shows and fireworks displays visible from within the Midtown, downtown, and west areas. Mayor Andre Dickens stated that the event was developed for public safety reasons, as the "decentralized" nature of the event reduces downtown crowding.1415
References
References
- Yu, Janice (December 16, 2021). "Atlanta New Year's Eve Peach Drop returns with Ashanti, Goodie Mob". Fox 5 Atlanta.
- Bronstein, Scott (December 31, 1989). "Underground is Atlanta's 'Time Square' - Scott Bronstein (1/2)". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 72. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- Newmark, Avery. "5 flashback moments from Atlanta's Peach Drop". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- Stevens, Alexis. "Atlanta police ramp up security plans for new Peach Drop location". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- Raisa Habersham, J. D. Capelouto. "Peach Drop moving back to Underground Atlanta". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- Ho, Rodney. "No Peach Drop this year, breaking 30-year tradition". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- Murphy, Adam. "Coronavirus overshadows most New Year's Eve celebrations in the metro". CBS46 News Atlanta. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- "Atlanta Peach Drop on New Year's Eve to be canceled, sources say". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- "It's back! Peach Drop returning to Underground Atlanta after 3-year hiatus". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- Ho, Rodney (December 18, 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Peach Drop won't be happening this year". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - "Peach Drop close to returning to Atlanta after new agreement reached". 11Alive.com. October 8, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- "City leaders approves agreement to bring Peach Drop back to Atlanta". FOX 5 Atlanta. October 8, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- Charbonneau, Danielle. "Big Boi will headline Atlanta's New Year's Eve Peach Drop". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- "Atlanta replaces Peach Drop with drones and fireworks for New Year's Eve celebration - CBS Atlanta". CBS News Atlanta. December 31, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- Wright, Irene. "Celebrating NYE in Atlanta? What to know for 'Countdown over ATL'". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 3, 2026.