Each year “The Great Raleigh Acorn” is removed from its permanent home to get spiffed up for New Year’s Eve. Raleigh Arts, Raleigh Parks, and Artsplosure coordinate this annual field trip with support from Morlando Crane. The iconic artwork stars in the Acorn Drop, a part of Artsplosure’s First Night Raleigh celebration, which includes musical performances, amusement rides, and food trucks.
The “Great Raleigh Acorn” is a 10-foot-tall, 1,250-pound acorn sculpture made of copper and steel. The artwork was commissioned for Raleigh's bicentennial in 1992 by local artist David Benson and is in the Raleigh Municipal Art Collection. On First Night, the crane lowers the acorn to the ground at the stroke of midnight and earlier for the littles. The crane operator stops lowering the acorn when the crowd hits "zero" on the countdown.
The nut will return to City Plaza in time for First Night on December 31, 2021. First Night.
About The Acorn Drop at First Night Raleigh
There are two countdowns planned for December 31, 2024. First, there will be an early countdown at City Plaza at 7 p.m. The second drop will be at 11:59 p.m. to ring in 2025 at midnight.
Learn more about all the events planned for First Night.
About the Municipal Art Collection
The Municipal Art Collection holds more than 600 fine and public art pieces by local, state, and national artists. It is displayed throughout Raleigh in public buildings, parks, and other city-owned property. The artworks include paintings, prints, drawings, textiles, posters, and large-scale sculptures.