Final preparations underway for Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration
More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the concert and celebration.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The new year is almost here, and the final touches are being done to make sure everyone can have fun and stay safe celebrating in downtown Nashville.
Organizers of Nashville’s Big Bash are expecting more than 200,000 people to pack Bicentennial Park Tuesday night to ring in the new year.
Keith Urban, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll are headlining the concert. Crews have been working for more than two weeks to get everything ready for the party.
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Dan Terry’s group of Red Frogs volunteers will be going through the crowd with free cups of water, phone chargers and other things to help keep people safe.
“99% of the time everyone is going to have a great time, but there is that 1% chance that something could go wrong,” Terry said. “As Red Frogs, we want to be there so that 1% doesn’t happen.”
The Red Frogs have been on Broadway every Friday night after helping over the summer at events like CMA Fest. Terry hopes the volunteers can intervene early in problems before the hundreds of police officers downtown would have to get involved.
“We are going to be around doing everything we can to be a positive presence,” Terry said. “To make sure people can enjoy the Big Bash and make memories that they are going to remember for many, many years to come.”
The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp has added new resources this year for people with sensory issues in addition to an alcohol-free zone.
“We know there are people that want to enjoy the event that may not feel as comfortable,” President and CEO Deana Ivey said. “We wanted to offer an area for sober space and also the Culture City bags for people who have some issues to loud noises or strobe lights or anything like that.”
The entire park has been covered in plastic flooring to prevent a mud pit with a chance of rain in the forecast. The event will take place rain or shine.
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Terry said the most important thing is to come with a friend and stay together the whole night to make sure everyone is safe. If something happens, a Red Frog volunteer can help reconnect people.
“You want to plan how are you going to get home,” Terry said. “It is going to be a lot of people. How are you going to get that Uber or walk back to your hotel with friends? Make sure you never leave somebody behind. You have a plan on how you are going to get home at the end of the night.”
The event has a clear bag policy, and everyone has to go through security screenings to make sure no weapons are brought into the park.
Gates open at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and a full list of security guidelines can be found on the event website.
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