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Chick-Fil-A Kickoff and Peach Bowl generate over $90M impact on Atlanta

By Mary Smith
Published  December 29, 2023 9:08pm EST
Downtown
FOX 5 Atlanta

Businesses enjoy boost from Peach Bowl

Ole Miss and Penn State fans are making their way to Downtown Atlanta ahead of Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl! The parade is in the morning and kickoff is scheduled for noon, but many are already in town enjoying Atlanta’s restaurants and attractions.

ATLANTA - It will be a busy weekend in Downtown Atlanta as thousands head to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

On Friday afternoon, traffic was busy and fans from Ole Miss and Penn State were checking out restaurants, bars and other attractions downtown. 

"I'm so excited, it's gonna be a blast," said Connor Carlson, a Penn State fan. 

"So far so good! We literally just got here a couple of hours ago," said Emily Suttermeister, an Ole Miss fan visiting from Florida. "I'm very excited. I'm ready!"

Since its inaugural game in 1968, the Peach Bowl has brought more than three million fans to Atlanta, with an average of more than 68,000 attending the game since 2000.

"Having two very competitive teams, this year being Ole Miss and Penn State and seeing a southeast conference member come in into the community, they bring a strong amount of people," said Matthew Youhess, food and beverage director for Legacy Ventures, which operates several bars and restaurants downtown, including Stats Brew Pub. "I would say the SEC championship being the busiest, but the Peach Bowl is definitely number two, if not number one, depending on if it's a playoff game."

Between the 2022 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Games and the Peach Bowl, there was a more than $90 million economic impact, according to an analysis by a professor at Georgia State University. 

MARTA will run more frequent train service downtown on Saturday for the parade and the game.