A peach is dropped in Atlanta's annual Peach Drop on New Year's Eve.
The event began in 1989 and was created as Atlanta's regional answer to the Times Square Ball Drop. A large illuminated peach descends at midnight as part of a public celebration featuring music and entertainment. The peach represents Georgia's nickname, the “Peach State,” and connects the countdown to a symbol strongly associated with the state.
The celebration has used different downtown locations and has not occurred every year in exactly the same form. Weather, construction, public-health restrictions and event planning have affected individual editions. That variation can cause confusion when people compare the Peach Drop with more continuous New Year's traditions.
The object is not a real piece of fruit. It is a large decorated prop designed to be visible to a crowd and television audiences. Atlanta's event illustrates how cities adapt the basic midnight-drop idea to local identity rather than copying New York's illuminated ball exactly.