Delta rents out Mercedes-Benz Stadium for its Centennial Bash
It’s not every day that you attend a concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta and have the ability to wander freely.
From VIP lounges to swanky club-level bar seats, out on the turf and up into the stands, 35,000 Delta Air Lines employees and their families had the run of the place Saturday for the company’s Centennial Bash.
In an amped-up version of its annual Boulevard Bash employee and family event, the Atlanta-based company rented out the stadium and let the free food and drink flow.
“Everybody’s a VIP,” said Annika McKinney, managing director of global events and planning who managed the event.
Employees from across the world were invited to fly in.
The day marked the “capstone event” of the centennial year, CEO Ed Bastian told the AJC.
Boulevard Bash happens annually, normally closing down parking lots and streets at Delta’s campus near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. But for this centennial year they took it up a notch.
Instead of just one headliner (previous names have included Pitbull, One Republic and Zac Brown Band), this year’s daylong celebration featured three with Georgia ties: Ludacris, Thomas Rhett and Yacht Rock Revue.
It was the largest event left on the birthday calendar for the Atlanta-based company, which was expecting a 100th year much different from what has come to pass.
It did kick off the year with a splash at Las Vegas’ Sphere, presenting its vision for the future of travel and setting its sights on being one of the world’s most recognizable brands.
As planned, the company did host a massive Atlanta gala and screening at the Fox Theatre of its new documentary all about its history. It’s the first U.S. airline to reach the year 100.
But rather than the most profitable year ever that Bastian had forecast, 2025 saw the airline having to cut back flight capacity and freeze hiring, as the industry reeled from the effects of the Trump administration’s trade war on travel demand.
Delta did see demand and revenues bounce back in the latest quarter and expects a strong finish to the year. Flight attendant hiring is also back.
But it’s too soon to say if it will be able to break that elusive profitability record next year, Bastian previously told the AJC.
Boulevard Bash dates back to another even more turbulent time in the company’s history: its emergence from bankruptcy.
The tradition is nearing its 20th year, McKinney said.
“It’s just an opportunity to thank our loved ones for all the time and the commitment and the dedication we put into Delta every day” she said, calling it “core” to the company culture.
Among the more than 75,000 registered for the free event were 3,000 retirees, she said.
McKinney’s team is already working on next year’s “Bash,” though it will be back to normal and back on campus again.
“It’ll be great to have a little normalcy next year,” Bastian said.
About the Author
As a business reporter, Emma Hurt leads coverage of the Atlanta airport, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Norfolk Southern and other travel and logistics companies. Prior to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she worked as an editor and Atlanta reporter for Axios, a politics reporter for WABE News and a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
