ATLATNA -- It's official: the iconic peach will drop over the City of Atlanta to ring in the new year, but it could be for the last time ever.
Atlantans will once again be able to pack Underground Atlanta for another year to say goodbye to 2016 and usher in 2017. But there was some early doubt about the future of the classic event. That’s because the city is in the process of selling Underground Atlanta to WRS Inc., a South Carolina company slated to redevelop the space.
However, Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed said the city has decided to put off closing the center for a few days so it can host the event.
This is not the first time the future of the Peach Drop had been shaky. In 2015, city officials initially called off the event after talks to sell Underground Atlanta got underway. But reaction from the public was swift and vocal, and Reed decided the event would go on.
“We tried to cancel the Peach Drop before to very bad results,” Reed said in an interview with 11Alive’s news partners at the Atlanta Business Chronicle Thursday. “There was a public outcry, and it was loudly and wildly protested.”
It put the city in a time crunch to pull off the event and nail down details like fireworks and performers, but it was ultimately successful. Officials have yet to announce details for this year’s Peach Drop. Once they have been confirmed, 11Alive will post them on 11Alive.com.
But this Peach Drop will likely be the final one held in the Underground Atlanta as it’s currently known. Construction is set to begin on the new development in early 2017, and it’s possible the new, private owner won’t be willing to assume the risks of what it takes to host the event.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that there are talks underway to have some kind of public New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Atlanta in the future, but there's no indication what locations are being considered.
