In the United States, Atlanta hosts the annual New Year's Eve Peach Drop.
The Peach Drop is Atlanta's local answer to the Times Square Ball Drop. A large illuminated peach is lowered at midnight during the city's downtown celebration, historically centered around Underground Atlanta. The peach is a deliberate symbol: Georgia is widely known as the Peach State, and the fruit appears in the state's branding, cuisine, and agricultural identity.
Atlanta held its first Peach Drop in 1989. Over time, the event became a familiar part of the city's New Year's Eve calendar, combining music, performances, and the midnight descent. Locations and operating details can change because of construction, public safety plans, weather, or decisions by city organizers, so the precise venue should not be assumed to be identical every year.
The Peach Drop is not a generic Southern U.S. custom, nor is it held in Georgia's coastal city of Savannah. Its defining combination is Atlanta, a peach-shaped object, and a midnight New Year's Eve countdown. The event's name is therefore a direct clue to Georgia's best-known nickname.