The Peach Drop is the large peach-shaped object lowered at midnight during Atlanta’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
Atlanta began the Peach Drop tradition in 1989. The object reflects Georgia’s nickname, the Peach State, and the city’s long association with peaches as a regional symbol. The descent is the centerpiece of a downtown celebration featuring live entertainment and a public countdown.
The Peach Drop has not always taken place in exactly the same location. Atlanta’s event has used downtown sites including Underground Atlanta and the area around Woodruff Park. Weather, construction, and public-safety arrangements have affected the staging in different years.
The event is sometimes compared with New York’s ball drop, but the objects are deliberately different: Atlanta lowers a peach, while Times Square lowers a geodesic ball. The Peach Drop is specific to Atlanta’s New Year celebration.