The Sugar Bowl gave University of Georgia football fans two compelling reasons to head to New Orleans: ringing in the New Year and supporting the Bulldogs in their playoff game against Notre Dame. However, the festivities took a horrifying turn just hours into 2025. Early Wednesday, a driver sped a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street before opening fire on responding officers. The attack left at least 10 dead and dozens injured, an act authorities and the FBI are investigating as terrorism. Among the injured was a UGA student, critically hurt in the chaos. In response, the Sugar Bowl was postponed until Thursday.
“It’s surreal to think this terror was happening here last night—that evil was lurking,” said Rob Saye, a metro Atlanta photographer. Saye had enjoyed fireworks from his French Quarter hotel room before heading to bed. When he awoke, he was met with a scene of police tape, emergency vehicles, and debris.
Mark Konter, a dedicated Georgia fan from Savannah, was staying nearby with his wife and two young sons. He, too, woke to the unsettling sight of police activity and investigations near Bourbon Street.
For Philip Rafshoon, this New Year’s Eve marked his first in New Orleans, though he had visited the city before. He and his husband arrived on Monday, not for the Sugar Bowl, but to celebrate the holiday and indulge in the city’s renowned cuisine. They returned to their French Quarter hotel around 3 a.m., just 15 minutes before the attack unfolded four blocks away.
Rafshoon, director of member engagement for the Midtown Alliance, said they woke to a barrage of text messages from concerned friends. For Rafshoon, the tragedy carried an unsettling sense of déjà vu. He was at Centennial Olympic Park the night of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, leaving the site just an hour before that attack occurred. “It’s déjà vu all over again,” he said.
This week, New Orleans swelled with visitors for its iconic New Year’s festivities and the anticipated college football playoff. But on Wednesday, the city’s mood shifted sharply. The stadium went into lockdown, and much of the French Quarter was sealed off with police tape, swarming with law enforcement.
Scott Johnson, a Georgia fan from Cobb County, had enjoyed dinner with fellow fans in the French Quarter before watching fireworks over the Mississippi River. He turned in for the night, only to wake to the devastating news. “The mood is somber—so many of us were so close to real tragedy,” he said. “It’s hard to feel like celebrating or thinking about football when innocent lives were taken just yards away.”
Despite the tragedy, Johnson plans to stay an extra day in New Orleans to support the Bulldogs at the rescheduled game.