Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration has expanded to the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and changed its name to Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville.
Lower Broadway will still be a site of the celebration, but not the main event location Nashvillians have come to know.
Officials with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced the changes Thursday.
The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park will be the site of the primary stage and screen along with traditional Music Note Drop and fireworks.
The Lower Broadway site will include a large screen that will show the concert and Note Drop as well as a secondary fireworks show across the Cumberland River.
Shuttles will run between locations to allow partygoers to enjoy them both.
“Having the primary stage location at Bicentennial Mall allows us to blend two dynamic neighborhoods of Nashville,” Courtney said. “You have the wonderfully energetic vibe of Broadway bridging with one of the city’s hottest restaurant districts in Germantown, allowing visitors to fully enjoy our great city.”
The New Year’s Eve event draws crowds in excess of 100,000, with the 2015 event boasting 150,000 people on Broadway and surrounding downtown streets.
Officials said the popularity has forced them to simply expand the area in which its held.
“Our famed New Year’s Eve event has grown exponentially over the last few years, resulting in the need to expand the footprint,” said Beth Seigenthaler Courtney, NCVC board chair and managing partner and president of DVL Seigenthaler. “This move also allows us to enhance security for all who attend, giving much more room for event revelers, vendors, emergency personnel and others to move conveniently and securely throughout the celebration.”
Butch Spyridon, NCVC president and CEO, said that the growth, heightened security and reduced footprint space have all made for a continuing the tradition on Broadway alone a major challenge.
“Our mission is always to provide the highest quality event while planning for future growth,” said Spyridon. “While we loved the traditional site, this decision reflects our success, and we will continue to include Broadway to showcase more of Nashville. We have worked with security officials to ensure everyone’s safety and to provide the best concert viewing experience.”
They added that other advantages of the new location include more convenient, accessible entry and exit points and availability of state parking lots surrounding Bicentennial Mall.
The concert lineup and headlining act for Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville will be announced in the coming weeks.
