Peach Drop on hiatus, but photo-ops still available

County starts fundraising campaign to revive annual fruit fall for 2021 celebration.

The Peach Drop didn’t happen this New Year’s Eve, but the iconic — and gigantic — peach is on display at the Fulton County Government Center through the end of January.

Fulton County has started a fundraising campaign in hopes of bringing back the Atlanta tradition in future years. In the meantime, the 8-foot-tall, 800-pound fiberglass peach is stationed inside Fulton County’s atrium, 141 Pryor St. SW.

“Our peach is one of the most iconic New Year’s traditions in the nation,” Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said. “We have an opportunity to come together to keep this tradition alive.”

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced in November the peach wouldn’t drop on New Year’s Eve for the first time in three decades. The mayor cited “location challenges” as the reason.

The Peach Drop debuted in 1989 at Underground Atlanta. The event, inspired by the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square, became an iconic event, sometimes attracting 100,000 people.

After a private developer purchased Underground Atlanta, the city moved the Peach Drop to Woodruff Park for New Year’s Eve 2017. It was brought back to Underground Atlanta last year, but Bottoms said she felt like it was “an afterthought event, not a premier event.”

Although county officers are closed on New Year’s Eve, visitors could take a photo with the peach until 5 p.m. Tuesday. It will remain on display during normal business hours through Jan. 31.

CONTRIBUTED BY STEVE SCHAEFER Ingolf Abisgold (from left), Cameron Abisgold and Xiner Feng pose Tuesday with the famous fruit from Atlanta’s annual Peach Drop in the Fulton County Government Center.