Nashville's Big Bash Event Details

Nashville’s live show for Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash is back at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park with Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, and Bailey Zimmerman headlining the event. Gospel music legend CeCe Winans will take the stage as a special guest, bringing her powerhouse vocals to the night’s festivities, alongside the acclaimed GRAMMY-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers, adding a soulful note to the star-studded lineup.

The concert is free and open to the public with gates opening at 5:30pm. Mayor Freddie O’Connell will greet the crowd at 6:45pm, and the live music kicks off at 7pm. The event will include the famed red Music Note, which will be dropped on a 138-foot tower at midnight to ring in the new year.

ABOUT

The Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash live event is produced by Music City Inc., the foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, for the city of Nashville and presented by Jack Daniel’s. Partners include Advance Financial, Amazon, Crav’n Flavor, Gibson Brands, Korbel California Champagne, Monster Energy, Nashville Farmers’ Market, Nashville International Airport, NUTRL, Stella Artois, Tanger Nashville, USA TODAY NETWORK, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Highway Safety Office: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk, Tennessee State Parks, 97.9 The BIG98, 107.5 The River, 103.3 Country and 95.5 WSM-FM.

Highlights

• This year marks the 17th New Year’s Eve event and ninth year at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
• The Music Note drops at the stroke of midnight with a 90-second fireworks display from the tower 350 feet in the sky, and fireworks over 500 feet in the sky from Capitol Hill.
• Hosts are HARDY and Bert Kreischer.
• Combined, the three headliners have 43 No. 1 songs with Wilson at 8, Aldean at 30, and Zimmerman at 5.
• Comedian and actor Bert Kreischer and Country music star HARDY will host the show. Hardy will also perform.
• The free official watch party will take place at Category 10, kicking off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, with GRAMMY-winning superstar Dwight Yoakam taking the stage to perform with special appearances by Cody Alan and Caylee Hammack.

Fun Facts

• Music Note Drop and Tower: The red Music Note tower is 140 feet tall. The Music Note is 16 feet tall and approximately 400 pounds. It is made of aluminum and acrylic. There are 28,140 LED pixels in the Music Note.
• Production Crew: On the busiest day of setup, there will be more than 300 production crew members working to build the stage and setting up other elements for the concert, fireworks, and Music Note Drop.
• Production Equipment: The event will use 75 production trucks, 88 pieces of heavy equipment, 970 lighting fixtures, more than 10 million pixels of LED, over four miles of fiber optic video cable, 2,600 cable ramps, more than five miles of power cable lines to power the event, 180 audio speakers and 25,000 square feet of flooring. The stage will be 7,200 square feet.
• Video Screens and Message Boards: Twelve throughout the event site, including three within the concert viewing area.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

This will be the 17th annual concert and ninth year at Bicentennial Park. As a live event, Big Bash generated a record $41 million in direct visitor spending and attendance of 220,000 in 2024.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

In addition to the local economic activity and tax revenue generated by the event, Big Bash partners with local nonprofits and organizations to ensure safety, inclusivity, and sustainability at the event and to give back to the local community.

Ronald McDonald House Charities
Nashville’s Big Bash is partnering with Ronald McDonald House Charities, a Nashville nonprofit that provides housing and resources to families with critically ill children being treated at Nashville hospitals. Big Bash partners Crav’n Flavor and Coca-Cola Consolidated will donate food and drink items to help fill the pantry at Ronald McDonald House. One dollar from each event t-shirt will go to Ronald McDonald House. Attendees are encouraged to make a donation at rmhcnashville.com/donate.

Sober Space Hangout
A Sober Space Hangout at Nashville’s Big Bash will provide an alcohol-free environment and foster fellowship and connection with others in recovery. Sober Space Hangout is in partnership with Cumberland Heights and is hosted by Coca-Cola Consolidated. Sober Space Hangout will be located in the Bites & Brews District near the video screen at the Sixth Avenue parking lot near Harrison Street. 

Safe Bar
In partnership with the Sexual Assault Center, key bar and security staff are trained in bystander intervention and awareness about alcohol’s role in sexual assault. Safe Bar helps create safe, welcoming, and respectful environments for patrons and staff in places where alcohol is served. For more information, visit SafeBarTN.org.

Red Frogs USA
Volunteers with Red Frogs will be at Bicentennial Park to help create a positive presence. They will give away cups of water and provide free phone charging stations at tents located in Countdown Square at the parking lot off Sixth Avenue and at Music City Plaza on Seventh Avenue. Red Frogs volunteers will also roam around the event site to ensure patrons are safe and to provide immediate help where needed. They provide early intervention, risk mitigation, and harm minimization as they look out for the health and well-being of crowds at large events.

ACCESSIBILITY

For individuals using wheelchairs, Big Bash offers ADA-accessible viewing areas located off Sixth Avenue in the concert viewing area and on Jackson Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenue. An ASL interpreter will be located on a platform in the concert viewing area, located off Seventh Avenue near the Nashville Farmers’ Market.

For those with sensory needs, the event is offering complimentary sensory bags by KultureCity, which contain noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools, and more. They will be available at the KultureCity Tents located in Countdown Square, in the parking lot off Sixth Avenue, and in Music City Plaza, along Seventh Avenue, near the Nashville Farmers’ Market.

SUSTAINABILITY

Big Bash partners with Tennessee State Parks to foster sustainability at the event hosted at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. Sustainability efforts will be found throughout the event.

• Cardboard, aluminum, plastic, solid grease, and grease water will be recycled.
• Food vendors are encouraged to use biodegradable plates and food containers, and no single-use condiment packets. Use of Styrofoam is prohibited.
• Care Kitchen Outreach will collect unused prepared food to donate to local food kitchens and nonprofits.
• Biodegradable confetti will be part of the celebration, with 100 pounds of confetti showering down at the stroke of midnight. The rice paper confetti will be cleaned up immediately, and any confetti that is missed should dissolve within two rainfalls.

THERE'S MORE!

• Safety and Security: The event’s perimeter will be fenced and include six entry points conveniently located around the site. Attendees should expect to walk through metal detectors as they enter. A clear bag policy will be in place, and bags may be searched. There will be five public first aid tents.
• Info Tents: There will be two information booths: One is in Countdown Square located off Sixth Avenue and another in Music City Plaza off Seventh Avenue north of the Nashville Farmers’ Market. Hand warmers, courtesy of Amazon, and party horns, courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, will be available while supplies last. Fill out a survey and earn the chance to win two Gold Circle passes with VIP viewing, a guitar autographed by the concert’s headliners, two $500 Delta Air Line vouchers, $100 Tanger Nashville retail gift card, gift basket from Tennessee Tourism, or a Jack Daniel’s Distillery tour and lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s for two people. QR codes will be available so surveys can be done from a mobile phone. Event information teams will roam the site to assist visitors on details like the concert schedule to where everything is located. “Lost and Found” will be located at the Info Tents until 10 p.m. and at the Gold Circle Party until 12:15 a.m. on event day and at the Nashville Visitor Center from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Please call or text 615-259-4700 to check if a lost item has been recovered.
• Heated Tents: To help keep attendees comfortable, two heated tents will be available: the Jack Daniel’s Lounge in Countdown Square off Sixth Avenue and the Neighborhood Taproom in the Bites & Brews District at Sixth Avenue and Harrison.
• Phone charging stations and bag lockers: Phone charging stations will be located in Countdown Square off Sixth Avenue and in the Bites & Brews District at Sixth Avenue and Harrison. Please, no large bags, but locker rentals will be available at Rep. John Lewis Way at Harrison Street and off Rosa Parks Boulevard near the Tennessee State Museum.
• Food trucks: Main clusters will be located in Countdown Square off Sixth Avenue and the Bites & Brews District at Sixth Avenue and Harrison. Hot dog vendors along Seventh and Sixth Avenues. Beverage stations around the event site.
• Photo Ops and Selfie Stations: Advance Financial Picture Frame and giant 2026 numerals will be located near the Carillon bell towers. Additional photo locations include the Jack Daniel’s Barrel Tree in Countdown Square off Sixth Avenue and a Nashville sign and Music Note in the Bites & Brews District at Sixth Avenue and Harrison Street.
• Celebrate Responsibly: A Designated Driver Zone tent will offer complimentary coffee, sodas, water and light snacks provided by Crav’n Flavors, presented by Tennessee Highway Safety Office: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. Located just inside the main entrance near the Sixth Avenue and Harrison Street roundabout.
• Portable toilets: More than 250 will be located at three locations – Jackson Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Rep. John Lewis Way near Countdown Square, and Harrison Street near Sixth Avenue.
• Merchandise: Event merchandise will be on sale in two trailers, located in Countdown Square off Sixth Avenue and on Seventh Avenue near the Farmers’ Market. Items include short-sleeve event t-shirts, event hoodie, beanies, gloves, and koozies. Hours are 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Nashville Farmers’ Market: The building will be closed to the public for a private, ticketed event. The Gold Circle Party is held inside the Nashville Farmers’ Market with prime viewing of the outdoor main stage, as well as heated indoor accommodations. Purchase tickets.