{Photograph} by Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Structure by way of AP
The Peach Drop, an Atlanta custom celebrating New Yr’s Eve, is returning to Underground Atlanta this yr—however its long-term future remains to be unsure. Launched in 1989 because the Atlanta model of New York Metropolis’s Occasions Sq. ball drop, the Peach Drop has, lately, endured a collection of stops and begins which have crippled the pageant’s momentum and significance. Will it survive the subsequent chapter of Atlanta, or turn out to be yet one more relic of town’s previous?
For many years, the Peach Drop was held each New Yr’s Eve exterior Underground Atlanta. The occasion routinely drew as many as 100,000 spectators, who counted right down to midnight and cheered because the 800-pound fiberglass peach slid down a specifically constructed, 138-foot scaffold.
However the custom was disrupted in 2017, when Underground Atlanta was bought to South Carolina–based mostly actual property developer WRS Inc. The pageant survived a couple of extra years, shifting as much as the Flatiron Constructing after which returning to Underground Atlanta in 2018. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms canceled the occasion in 2019, citing uncertainty concerning the location, and the next yr, Covid-19 nipped group gatherings within the bud.
Pandemic shutdowns and subsequent spikes from Covid variants saved the Peach Drop off the agenda between 2020 and 2022. The occasion made a modest comeback to ring in 2023, drawing a number of thousand attendees to Underground for a present headlined by Jermaine Dupri, however was canceled once more forward of the 2024 New Yr’s celebration. A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens stated the occasion cash had been allotted to town’s celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of hip-hop as an alternative, and referred to as the Peach Drop “a worthy custom previously.”
This yr, the destiny of the beleaguered fruity free fall was once more in limbo. However in October, town introduced a partnership with worldwide occasions promoter Stay Nation, which agreed to supply the occasion at Underground Atlanta. The Metropolis Council accredited $650,000 to assist Stay Nation with reserving performers, internet hosting a fireworks present, and different occasion logistics. The settlement is just for one yr, nonetheless, leaving the long-term destiny of the Peach Drop nonetheless dangling within the air.
The way forward for its host venue stays equally unsure. Lalani Ventures, which bought Underground Atlanta in 2020, is making an attempt to rebrand the long-languishing downtown advanced as a scorching spot for nightlife and artwork. Along with The Masquerade, which moved to the subterranean warren in 2016, Lalani has added a number of nightclubs, bars, and dwell music venues, and wooed artists and galleries with discounted leases. “We’re proud . . . to welcome Atlanta’s most beloved custom, the Peach Drop, again to the property,” CEO Shaneel Lalani informed the native station 11 Alive in 2022, “and we stay up for internet hosting this monumental occasion for years to come back.”
Lalani Ventures’ Underground Atlanta revamp is a part of a extra bold redevelopment of downtown, as non-public builders and metropolis leaders alike try and rebuild the district into the hub it as soon as was. Tasks embrace a renovation of Woodruff Park, a revival of the eight-block South Downtown neighborhood, and an infinite overhaul of the 5 Factors MARTA station. It’s too quickly to say whether or not the plans for a revitalized downtown will succeed, but when the Peach Drop can maintain on just a bit longer, it could be celebrated as an indicator of previous Atlanta that survived to see the brand new one.
This text seems in our December 2024 concern.
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