Summerhill residents brace for Red Bull Showrun
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The Red Bull Showrun will be held Saturday in Atlanta. Photo: Courtesy of Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Red Bull Showrun will descend upon Atlanta's Summerhill neighborhood on Saturday, but some residents are concerned about how the event will impact the community.
Why it matters: The Showrun will take over Hank Aaron Drive between Fulton Street and Georgia Avenue, making a major north-south thoroughfare in the neighborhood inaccessible to those who live and work in the area.
The latest: Red Bull's event starts at 5pm, allowing fans to "see, hear and feel Formula 1 right on their city streets," Red Bull said, noting that attendees will be able to see high-speed demos, burnouts and precision driving.
- Red Bull says Atlanta hip-hop artist Killer Mike is also set to make an appearance at the free event.
- "The experience promises to immerse attendees in the thrill of motorsports, spotlighting remarkable race vehicles and can't miss moments," Red Bull said.
What they're saying: John Helton, president of Organized Neighbors of Summerhill, said the community's Neighborhood Planning Unit voted to recommend denial of the event's permit over concerns about crowd control, street closures and security.
- Cheron Pitchford, executive director of the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corp., told WSB-TV the event could be "positive" for the community if it's organized with residents in mind.
- "It can be a good time, but make sure that you're managing it in a way that makes sure it doesn't overflow into us having issues later," she said.
- Helton told Axios about 100 off-duty officers will work the event and said he hopes that will be enough to manage crowds.
Flashback: Helton said he also hopes Atlanta can avoid what happened in February when Red Bull's event was held in San Francisco.
- An estimated 40,000 people packed the designated area, but since there were no bleachers, visibility was limited for those who weren't in the front row.
- Videos shared to Instagram showed people climbing trees, utility poles, private balconies and even roofs to get a good view of the action.
- There were also reports of physical altercations as people pushed through crowds.
The other side: Axios has reached out to Red Bull for comment.
State of play: MARTA riders who rely on the agency's Rapid A-Line service will have to adjust their schedules.
- Some stations along Hank Aaron Drive will be temporarily moved or unavailable. Signage will be posted to direct users to temporary bus stops, MARTA said in a statement.
- This detour, which went into effect Wednesday night, will end 6pm Sunday.
What we're watching: If there will be any bleachers or stands installed.