Atlanta's New Year's Eve event featuring a giant illuminated peach is called the Peach Drop.
The Peach Drop is Atlanta's signature New Year's Eve countdown. A large peach-shaped object is lowered at midnight in downtown Atlanta, accompanied by music, performances, and a public celebration. The peach is used because Georgia is widely known by the nickname “the Peach State.”
The event began in 1989 and has been held at different downtown locations over time. Its original site was Underground Atlanta, a historic shopping and entertainment district. Later celebrations moved to areas including Woodruff Park and the vicinity of the Georgia State Capitol, depending on event planning and city arrangements.
The Peach Drop is sometimes compared with New York City's Times Square Ball, but its symbolism is specifically regional. It is also distinct from Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race, which takes place on July 4 and is one of the city's best-known annual events.