The city of Atlanta is closing out the year with two major events drawing crowds downtown on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. City leaders shared how they’re preparing for the New Year’s Peach Drop and Peach Bowl football game.
The Atlanta Police Department, Fire Department, E911, and Department of Transportation are working together to execute the city’s safety plan.
E911 Executive Director Desiree Arnold said on New Year’s Day they typically receive more calls.
“Last year between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., this was a total of six hours, we received 1,753 calls into our E911 center,” Arnold said. “This spike in call volume highlights the importance of knowing how and when to use our emergency resources effectively.”
She encouraged the public to call 311 for non-emergency situations like noise complaints or abandoned vehicles.
City Safety officials are focused on preventing fireworks accidents, celebratory gunfire, street racing, or drunk driving that may take place around these events. ATLDOT Commissioner Solomon Caviness said the best celebrations include everyone getting home safely.
“We want to make sure that Marta is your first choice,” he said. “We’re here to make sure you skip the parking nightmare in the city and take advantage of Marta and their resources.”
The Peach Drop will be held at Underground Atlanta again for the first time since 2022. There will be several street closures in the area to accommodate crowds.
Peach Drop and the Peach Bowl are each expected to draw crowds of over 60 thousand people each.
All 1,700 Atlanta police officers will be working extended 12-hour shifts over the next few days through the Peach Bowl celebrations. APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said they’re ready to address situations quickly.
“We want you to enjoy the Peach drop and the Peach Bowl and may the best team win,” he said. “We’re already getting ready for the college football championship game right back here in Atlanta in just a few days, which we hope to be cheering the Bulldogs on at that time.”
The Texas Longhorns will face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils starting at 1pm on New Year’s Day.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
