It’s been two years since the last time that fuzzy fruit slowly made it ways down a tower at Underground Atlanta to ring in the New Year. Cancelled in 2019 because of uncertainty around the status of Underground and its private ownership, the celebration had no chance last year between the uncertainty and Covid. But it’s back this year.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced on Thursday the return of the annual event that attracts some 60,000 attendees. “Atlanta’s Peach Drop is a proud tradition that has entertained generations of residents and visitors alike,” said Mayor Bottoms. “Thank you to City staff, Live Nation, the Coca-Cola Company and Underground Atlanta for their partnership in providing a world-class celebration to bring in the new year in the capital city of the Southeast.”
The event will start at 6:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve, with longtime Atlanta emcee and radio host Ryan Cameron doing the hosting duties. The two-time Emmy Award winner is excited to see the event return. “I look forward to, again, being a part of one of the biggest celebrations in the South; and once again the South got something to say,” said Ryan Cameron. In addition to Cameron doing hosting duties, Atlanta-based Goodie Mob, Grammy Award winning singer Ashanti and Blanco Brown will be featured performers.
The return of the event is a bit of a coup for relatively new Underground owner Shaneel Lalani, an investor from Gwinnett County who bought the property last year in the midst of Covid and the then-owner WRS struggling to get the redevelopment off the ground.
“Underground Atlanta has been the host of the Peach Drop for over 30 years, and we’re proud to welcome the beloved tradition back to our historic entertainment district,” said Shaneel Lalani, CEO of Lalani Ventures. “As we continue to lay the groundwork for redevelopment, we’re focused on creating meaningful community activations and immersive experiences to bring life back to the heart of Downtown.”
Lalani is not your usual downtown developer and there are sure to still be some skeptics still for an area that has been plagued by problems for 30 something years. Lalani points out though, in a piece by the AJC’s Bill Torpy last year, that despite the decades of problems, the area is actually primed for renewal this time with a German firm named Newport renovating dozens of buildings in south downtown and the huge development project in the Gulch – the train track level canyon situated between south downtown and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The old Norfolk Southern offices are also nearby in south downtown and are in the midst of a massive redevelopment themselves.
Despite some lingering Covid concerns, there is more going on at Underground than there likely has been in some time. Lalani has opened up rent-free space to artists and entrepreneurs and hosted a Banksy art exhibition that has drawn thousands of visitors. The Peach Drop could be another piece in the Underground comeback.
