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On the eve of Universal Epic Universe’s grand opening to the public, I had the surreal honor of attending the VIP media preview event — and let me just say: this theme park lives up to its name. Yes, I rode every ride. Yes, I indulged in a jaw-dropping amount of theme park eats.
But the real cherry on top was the drone show. The Epic Universe drone show marked a brilliant finale to an opening-night spectacular in Celestial Park, choreographed by French drone entertainment company Dronisos.
If you’ve seen their work at Disneyland Paris, Dollywood or one of their many major global events, you know Dronisos is a big deal. But here at the Epic Universe opening celebration, the show was elegant and — dare I say subtle. It was an artistic welcome to what’s one of the world’s important theme park launches in years.
The spectacular at drone show at Celestial Park
The brief drone show capped off a roughly 8-minute ceremony narrated by Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, with a special introduction by Steven Spielberg. Held on May 21, just before the park opened to the public on May 22, the moment was centered on the Celestial Park lagoon.
Fountains blasted in sync with fireworks. But then, all eyes turned skyward.
In a minimalist but powerful display, drones lifted above the Helios Grand Hotel to spell out one word: epic. Another set of drones launched from behind the hotel to create a luminous, circular frame around the text. The symbolism couldn’t have been clearer—or more cinematic.
“It wasn’t a drone show,” Laurent Perchais, CEO Dronisos, said in an interview with The Drone Girl after the drones landed. “It was a show — and we brought the drones to be a part of it.”
Watch the whole spectacular nighttime celebration here, as filmed by my friends at Attractions Magazine:
Behind the scenes with Dronisos
After the spectacle, I caught up with Perchais in Celestial Park. He revealed that the show involved two drone launch zones: roughly 1,000 drones launched from behind the hotel, and just under 300 drones from a smaller front zone. That layered deployment is what created the show’s dimensionality — and its elegance.
“This was a one-shot show with very high expectations,” he said. “Theme parks like Universal have high expectations for safety, creativity — everything. But that’s why we love working with them.”
Sally French, The Drone Girl, with Laurent Perchais, CEO Dronisos.
Dronisos collaborated with Universal — and together the team made the conscious decision to keep the drone segment simple.
“The creative team knew not to overuse drones,” Perchais said. “They used them for impact, not excess. They worked the transitions beautifully.”
That balance was intentional — and frankly, refreshing. I’ve seen hundreds of drone shows, and while maximalism has its moments, restraint takes finesse. This one had it.
What’s next for Dronisos?
While this was a one-night-only event, you can catch Dronisos this summer at Dollywood, where they’re launching a new drone show for Dolly Parton’s theme park. They also have shows planned in Miami on July Fourth and across Europe throughout the summer.
But wait… how’s the rest of the park?
The portal to Isle of Berk. (Photo by Sally French)
As for the rest of Universal Epic Universe? It’s a home run. I got to ride Battle at the Ministry, which absolutely lives up to the hype (yes, it’s epic). But my surprise favorites were the two family coasters: Curse of the Werewolf and Hiccup’s Wing Gliders. Who knew gentle coasters could be so joyful?
And I’d be remiss not to mention the food. I devoured a DK Crush Float, which is basically Epic Universe’s response to Disney’s Dole Whip — augmented with toffee, popcorn and Fanta soda. I had two of the mac and cheese cones from Hooligan’s Grog & Gruel, which were so good I’m considering them an essential food group.
The DK Crush Float at Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country. (Photo by Sally French)
Universal Epic Universe is opening with a bang—and thanks to Dronisos, that bang included 1,300 glowing drones painting the sky with elegance and restraint.
Epic, indeed.
Want to experience Epic Universe for yourself? Grab discounted tickets from my preferred ticket partner, Undercover Tourist!
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– Aloft Technologies, a provider of unmanned aircraft systems fleet and airspace management solutions, and uAvionix, a pioneer in command, navigation and surveillance systems for UAS, have announced the integration of uAvionix’s FlightLine ADS-B surveillance network and Casia G ground-based optical detect-and-avoid (DAA) system into Aloft’s Air Boss platform for enterprise UAS Traffic Management (UTM). […]
