It’s the ‘capstone event’ of a centennial year that didn’t go exactly as the airline had planned.
Children play during the Delta Centennial Bash employee and family celebration, bringing its 100th year to a close at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. About 35,000 showed up for the all-day event that featured Ludacris, Yacht Rock Revue and Thomas Rhett. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)
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.
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Ludacris performs during the Delta Centennial Bash, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)
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Delta employees and family walk through an interactive museum during the Delta Centennial Bash. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)
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A Delta employee poses during the Delta Centennial Bash. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)
Fans cheer as Ludacris performs during the Delta bash, bringing the airline’s centennial year to a close. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)
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.
