ATLANTA — For decades, the iconic Peach Drop has rang in the new year for downtown Atlanta.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced on Monday that the Peach Drop won’t happen as usual this New Year’s Eve. Instead, he says the tradition is being reimagined as Countdown Over ATL.
The mayor says the new celebration will include a fireworks display that you should be able to see across the city.
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“All you have to do is step outside, hit your neighborhood spot, meet on a rooftop or watch from your backyard, and you’ll be part of one special shared moment,” Dickens said.
But if you’ll miss the giant peach, don’t worry. A digital peach made out of drones will be in the sky that you can spot in downtown and midtown.
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The fireworks will be shot from multiple sites so everyone around the city can get a good view.
City officials say making the show visible across the city, decentralizes the massive crowds from downtown and increases public safety operations.
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The Peach Drop began in 1989 with live music and food. The year ended with Atlanta’s own version of the Times Square drop with a giant peach instead. The event used to attract around 100,000 people on average each year.
2019 marked the first time that the Peach Drop was canceled. The city canceled it again in 2020 and 2021 as the nation dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Peach Drop returned in 2022 before taking another pause and returning again to ring in 2025.
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