As the drone industry continues to evolve, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year packed with must-attend events for drone enthusiasts, professionals, and innovators. Whether you’re looking to network with industry leaders, discover the latest technology or simply bask in a breathtaking drone show, these events are worth adding to your calendar.
Since many of the 2025 drone events haven’t yet locked in their dates, we’ll continuously update this list as we get official dates, locations and times. Bookmark this page for ongoing updates of more 2025 drone events to come.
The best drone events of 2025:
CES 2025 (Consumer Electronics Show)
Date: January 7-10, 2025
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Why Attend: CES is a global stage for innovation, and drones always take the spotlight. Expect groundbreaking announcements from major brands like DJI, Autel Robotics, and Skydio, alongside startups unveiling game-changing technology. Live demos and hands-on experiences make this a must-attend event.
And yes, I’ll be there myself! I had a blast attending CES 2023, which I primarily went as part of the 2023 Emerging Aviation Technologies Thought Leaders’ Summit where I was inducted with an inaugural spot in the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Hall of Fame. I missed being at CES 2024 in-person, but I’m ready for more this year!
Website: ces.tech
DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational
Date: Feb. 1, 2025
Location: Miami, Florida
Why Attend: The DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational is a massive drone race held at LoanDepot Park, which is most famously known as the home of the Miami Marlins.
Tickets are on sale now, coming in at $25 per adult. Discounted tickets are available to children and seniors. And if you buy for a group of adults (that’s five or more), you can get tickets for just $20 each.
AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025
Date: May 19-22, 2025
Location: George Bush Convention Center in Houston, Texas
Why Attend: The world’s largest event for autonomous and unmanned systems, AUVSI XPONENTIAL is perfect for professionals seeking insights into the latest drone applications. Expect exhibits, keynote speeches, and discussions on emerging regulations and trends.
Website: xponential.org
Law-Tech Connect at XPONENTIAL 2025
Date: May 19, 2025
Location: George Bush Convention Center in Houston, Texas
Why Attend: Besides the main XPONENTIAL event, there are a few co-located events, meaning you can make one trip and double-dip on the learning and networking.
One of the top co-located events is the one-day Law-Tech Connect Workshop, which typically devolves into a standing room-only crowd of people seeking the latest updates on global drone regulations and advanced air mobility, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and UTM, threat lessons from current conflicts and more.
Website: xponential.org
International Drone Show
Date: June 18-19, 2025
Location: Odense, Denmark
Why Attend: This is one of the top-tier, professional drone events held in Europe. It’s hosted by Odense Robotics and the UAS Denmark International Test Center, which is the site of key testing facilities and BVLOS flights. It draws more than 500 people each year, which is a manageable size contained to serious drone users.
Website: International Drone Show
The World Games
Date: August 7-17, 2025
Location: Chengdu, China
Why Attend: The World Games, organized by the International World Games Association (IWGA), is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games. But unlike the Olympics, this massive sporting event includes drone racing.
The Drone Racing event will happen in a stadium at Dong’an Lake Sports Park, located in Chengdu’s Longquanyi District. Held as a mixed gender event, it’ll feature 32 racers who battle in an elimination round style competition.
Website: fai.org
What 2025 drone events are you looking forward to? Tell us where you’re headed (or hoping to head) in the comments below!
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