NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This year, Nashville's Big Bash on New Year's Eve will have some special safe spaces for people trying to stay sober and another to help ensure people get home safely.
This is the first year there will be a special space for people celebrating the holiday sober whether they are in recovery or just looking for an alcohol-free experience.
An organizer for the space, Casey Hyatt said it's to give people in recovery, especially those early on in recovery, a safe space so they can celebrate and enjoy without feeling pressure to drink.
“I think it’s really important once we’re not only changing our playmates and playgrounds that we have an opportunity to be together in that space and still enjoy an event, and still enjoy the music and still enjoy the people without having to worry about getting it pushed into your face or the peer pressure mentality of everybody’s doing it,” said Hyatt, who is the coordinator of alumni services Cumberland Heights Foundation.
During the Bash, there will be a separate space blocked off for those wanting a sober experience.
There will be a tent, concessions and tables and chairs.
People can check in throughout the night and stay as long as they’d like during the event.
Hyatt says when you’re in recovery it can be overwhelming not just to be around a crowd where people are partying, so he just wants to provide an alternative.
“I think a big part of the message is not only do we get to live life in a new way, but recovery means that we get to do it anywhere we want,” said Hyatt.
"Just because other people are drinking and partying doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time as well.”
Hyatt said so far more than 3,000 people have expressed interest in using the sober space, and that this partnership shows there is cultural support for people in recovery. He hopes this opportunity leads to more chances to be at more events.
There will also be another set of new guests there to make sure people get home safe.
The Red Frogs are a support network of volunteers who will be there to do what they can to get people where they need to be.
The nonprofit will have a chill-out zone at the event for people to charge phones, get a drink of water, and they will help them get home. Whether it be helping order them a rideshare, walking them to their ride or just trying to reunite them with friends.
"99 percent of the time, you're gonna have a great time at things like music festivals or downtown at big events, but we want to be there to make sure the 1 percent doesn't take place," said Dan Terry, national director of Red Frogs.
"We're all doing everything we can to be the fence at the top of the cliff and not the ambulance at the bottom. To make sure people have a great experience when they come to Nashville. They enjoy their time here and make memories that last a lifetime — all for the right reasons"
Terry said in a crowd as big as the one they are expecting, it's important to look out for your friends, keep your phone charged and make sure you know how you're getting home. So, they will be here to help in any way they can.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at eric.pointer@newschannel5.com.
This story by Aaron Cantrell reminds me of my first school in Dyersburg, TN. I was a student at Bruce School from Kindergarten to second grade until the school system was integrated. My parents graduated from this K-12 school in 1960 in one of the city's African American communities. After sitting empty for several years, part of the school was demolished while the rest was renovated and now serves as a community center for the Bruce community in Dyersburg. A local pastor is now trying to do something similar in the Cemetery community in Rutherford Co.
-Lelan Statom
