Nashville, Tennessee (WKRN) — Downtown Nashville businesses are already buzzing with visitors, but the biggest night is yet to come.
“Nashville’s Big Bash” is back at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Businesses in the heart of downtown are given the opportunity to throw their own parties to welcome the New Year.
“We’re going to have a disco rodeo party,” Kendall Morales, ACME Feed & Seed’s chief sales officer, told News 2.
Advance tickets for New Year’s Eve quickly sold out at the three-story restaurant and bar located in downtown First Avenue and Broadway.
“Like that,” Morales said, snapping his fingers.
ACME has sold 1,200 pre-sale tickets and expects to have another 200 walk-ups on Saturday night.
This is a welcome sign following several years of trying times for downtown businesses, first affected by COVID and then by the 2020 Christmas Day bombings.
“I think this is the first year, especially in the last few months, when we really feel the energy coming back downtown. With the event coming downtown, it’s going to be really great,” Morales said. explained.
Energy surges into the new year with Thursday’s Titans vs. Cowboys game and the Music City Bowl and New Year’s Eve festivities scheduled.
“Of course it wouldn’t be Nashville without putting everything together in the same week to keep us really busy,” Morales said, laughing and saying they were excited.
Weekend celebrations are being extended as the hospitality industry struggles for workers.
“We’re happy with our staffing. Everyone’s slowly coming back, so I’m feeling good, especially this weekend. We have great cocktails and great local musicians, so I’m really excited,” she said.
Nashville’s official party moved from outside ACME’s downtown doors to the Bicentennial Mall five years ago. This is a decision supported by those who work in the downtown Nashville district.
“Personally, I like the new set up with the fireworks underneath just because Broadway and the streets are more walkable, the bars are more accessible, and it’s not a bottleneck in front of me.I really enjoyed it. We enjoy it,” Morales explained.
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Like the visitors who are boosting Nashville’s economy. As a live event, New Year’s Eve will generate as much as $30 million in direct visitor spending for him, according to officials at the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.