Nashville will host a televised Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville show featuring indie rock band Moon Taxi and powerhouse trio The Shindellas, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today. There will be no public concert, Music Note Drop or spectators due to COVID restrictions.
The TV show will air from 10:30 p.m. to midnight (CST) locally on WTVF-NewsChannel 5. Go to visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve for information on the livestreamed event. Nashville-based Moon Taxi will play for 40 minutes just before midnight. The Shindellas, who fuse jazz, soul and R&B, will perform a 20-minute set earlier in the show. The show will include highlights from previous years. CNN will feature the countdown live from Nashville as the central time zone rings in the New Year.
“Music City has consistently hosted hundreds of thousands of spectators to ring in the New Year, and while we are sad to ask the crowds to stay home, we are ecstatic about the opportunity to say goodbye to 2020,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We hope everyone will tune in to enjoy the live music and the start of 2021. You can expect us to be back next year with the biggest show ever. We have some making up to do.”
Due to gathering-size restrictions and the desire to responsibly keep the community safe, Music City Midnight is taking a different tone this year. For the first time in the event’s 12-year history, the New Year’s Eve show will be limited to a televised broadcast and livestream to be watched from home.
“New Year’s Eve in Nashville is always something special,” said Lyn Plantinga, Vice President and General Manager, NewsChannel 5. “This year, we can’t all be together, but we can still celebrate! NewsChannel 5 is committed to keeping our community safe, informed and connected, and we’re thrilled to be delivering on all three as we ring in the New Year."
Nashville’s New Year’s Eve is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to feed hungry families across our city. Starting now to Jan. 1, anyone can participate in a virtual food drive with every $1 donated providing four meals. Donate here. Partners in the hospitality industry are being asked to launch their own food drives at your locations. During last year’s food drive, the NCVC and its partners collected over 7,500 pounds of food that provided over 8,300 meals to people experiencing hunger.
Last year, Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville attracted a record attendance of more than 200,000 and generated a record $26.2 million in direct visitor spending with a free concert and Music Note Drop at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The show and headliner Keith Urban were featured on two national broadcasts: “NBC’s New Year’s Eve 2020” and CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.”
Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville is produced by the NCVC for the city of Nashville and presented by Jack Daniel’s. Partners include Tennessee Highway Safety Office: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk, SERVPRO and Advance Financial. No Metro Nashville general fund revenue is used to put on the event.
To help you celebrate New Year’s Eve with some Nashville flair, you can purchase a Box of Cheer that includes some of Music City’s favorite sweet treats and other items. Cost of box is $50, and shipping is included. Order your box here: visitmusiccity.com/newyearseve#cheer
