A surprise New Year's Eve fireworks display for Music City has been canceled after the Christmas Day bombing downtown significantly damaged a large swath of Second Avenue. The city will still hold a celebration, but Butch Spyridon, CEO of Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation, encourages everyone to enjoy it from home.
Though Nashville's traditional New Year's Eve celebration was changed amid the ongoing pandemic, the city had hoped to end 2020 with a surprise pyrotechnic display. However, after the explosion less than a week ago, they had to change plans.
"We were going to surprise the community with some fireworks," said Spyridon. "We were going to surprise the community by blowing up the 2020 numbers to get rid of this year. I didn't take much for all of us to go — that's a bad idea and it's too soon."
This year's celebration will look different as no public concerts will be held nor will the city drop its famous Music Note when the clock strikes midnight. Instead, the Jack Daniel's Music City Midnight: New Year's Eve in Nashville will air on television, featuring performances by Moon Taxi and The Shindellas.
There is definitely reason for Music City to celebrate the end of 2020. After facing a devastating tornado in March, quickly followed by the continuing pandemic, families and businesses facing economic hardships, and an explosion on an iconic city block, Nashville is looking for 2021 to be a little more enjoyable.
However, not everything this year has been bad. The community came together and supported each other following the tornado, and people are now stepping up to support those who were impacted by the bombing.
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