
Dragon Drone Show at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore for Chinese New Year

Super Bowl LVIII did it again with a Taylor Swift appearance and a star-studded Usher halftime show. There was also no shortage of clever advertising. But among the most clever advertisements out there? Yes, those are the multiple that featured drones.
Drones appeared on millions of TVs across America in that Popeyes ad. Meanwhile, fans on the ground in Las Vegas, were treated to not one but two drone shows. Both were advertisements in themselves. Here are 3 incredible drone highlights to come out of Super Bowl LVIII:
Actor, writer, and comedian Ken Jeong got a taste of Popeyes’ new Wings — delivered to him via drone. The premise of the ad is this: Jeong cryogenically froze himself 52 years ago, waiting for the best-ever wing. Upon unfrozeeing, he discovers the biggest changes over the past 52 years. That included drones, driverless cars, scooters, even new breeds of doodle dogs and, yes, the chicken wings.
The advertisement was created by Popeyes’ creative agency, McKinney. Filmmaker and MTV Video Music and Grammy Award Winner Calmatic directed the ad. Calmatic is best known for directing movies including “House Party” and “White Men Can’t Jump.”
Watch the full ad here (drones appear at about the 0:44 mark):
Regular Drone Girl readers already knew this one was coming. Last week, we reported on the Visit Newport Beach drone show. Yep, that was an ad directed at the fans in attendance at Vegas, where 1,000 drone flew for a 12-minute light show. The show over Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas occured one hour after the big game. It was all an ad put on by the destination marketing agency behind Newport Beach, a Southern California beach city.
SkyWorx, which is based in Boise, Idaho, powered the show.
That wasn’t the only drone show in Las Vegas this weekend. Another drone show company, Sky Elements, put on a show flying in front of Resorts World Casino. Resorts World is one of the newer, Hilton-owned Las Vegas hotels.
For their show, a fleet of 1,000 drones took flight at Resorts World. They flew a football-themed show including drones in the shape of gigantic helmets and towering 400-foot-tall football players.
“As huge football fans ourselves, we knew we wanted to fly an epic drone show for the Big Game,” said Preston Ward, Chief Pilot of Sky Elements.
That show was hardly Sky Elements’ first time in Vegas. One of their biggest performances to-date was also in Vegas. That was an 1,000-drone F1 drone show.
As these three instances of Super Bowl drones on the single night of Super Bowl LVIII indicated, the famous football faceoff loves drones.
The 2022 Super Bowl gave us multiple drone light shows over downtown Los Angeles in the days leading up to the game. And in 2019, the Maroon 5 half time show featured not just Big Boi, Travis Scott, and Sleepy Brown, but also a drone show. That was for the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Then in 2017, hundreds of drones flew during Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The Super Bowl goes hand-in-hand with ads — and drones can make for pretty slick advertising. But the Super Bowl LVIII entailed all sorts of hilarious and clever advertising. Many advertisers took advantage of the game’s Vegas location to get creative.
In another hilarious, non-drone ad that’s too good not to share. Doritos turned the iconic Luxor hotel’s pyramid into a giant Doritos chip.
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In 2023, I got the absolute privilege to see my first drone light show in person. In 2024, I hope to see many more — and I hope you do too. Drone light shows have become a thrilling phenomenon. And particularly as products like Verge Aero’s Composer software and the growth of companies making light show drones make drone light shows more ubiquitous, there’s a good chance you’ll see a drone light show in 2024.
Many drone light shows happen with little notice, but some are planned well in advance. I’ve been on the lookout for those ones that have been giving advance notice. With that, I’ve curated a list of some of the best, public drone light shows so you can make travel plans and see them for yourself.
This is hardly a comprehensive list of every drone light show happening in 2024. In fact, there are hundreds that take place in just a month. Instead, here I’ve specifically listed shows that are set to be either especially big, especially delightful, or especially easy to attend (e.g. they occur in a big tourism destination or as part of a broader festival that you’d likely want to head to).
So whether you’ve never seen a drone light show yet, or you’re ready to bask in another, here are some items to add to your calendar so you can witness your own, in-person drone light show in 2024:
Date: Friday, February 16
Location: Green Bridge, Palmetto, Florida
How to watch: This drone show will kick off a weekend of powerboat racing and other festivities in a civic event that’s free to the public. The show will be put on by the folks at Sky Elements. Learn more about the Bradenton Area River Regatta drone show here.
Date: Saturday, February 24
Location: New Baltimore, Maryland
How to watch: This drone show is set to be delightful because it’s centered around an entire festival — plus it’s for charity. The annual fundraising event will feature entertainment, food & beverage, merchandise, games, and activities, with proceeds supporting the New Baltimore Lions Club and its charities. The show is put on by Starlight Aerial Productions, which was founded in 2016 in southwestern Michigan.
Date: Saturday and Sunday nights, from Friday, March 1 through Sunday, March 17
Location: Houston, Texas
How to watch: The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a massive, annual event that first launched in 1932. And 2024 marks the second time that drones are a part of it. Beyond drones, the event entails a massive number of festivities including a carnival, wine show, 5K and 10K race, downtown rodeo parade, trail ride and barbecue contest. Of course, the centerpiece is the world’s largest livestock show and rodeo.
The drone show will take place each Saturday and Sunday night during the Rodeo’s three-week event, scheduled for Feb. 27-March 17, 2024. The show will be put on by the folks at Sky Elements. Learn more about the rodeo’s drone show here.
Date: Saturday, April 20
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
How to watch: This is a must-attend event for aviation enthusiasts, as it’s so much more than a drone show. Thunder Over Louisville is one of the top five air shows in the country, drawing an average of 625,000 people each year since 1997. The show is put on by Starlight Aerial Productions, which was founded in 2016 in southwestern Michigan.
Date: Saturday, April 25 through May 3
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
How to watch: Hang around Louisville even longer to participate in Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville. The weeklong event is named for the supermarket chain and makes for a giant festival. Expect a week filled with concerts, food, a kids’ inflatable playground, midway rides and, yes, a nighty drone show. It’s put on once again by Starlight Aerial Productions, the same folks powering the Thunder Over Louisville show. Learn more about Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville here.
Date: Saturday, May 4
Location: Redwood City, California
How to watch: After a successful show last year where the Port of Redwood City and Open Sky Productions hosted a free maritime-themed drone show over the bay, there’s another event planned. There aren’t a ton of details yet, but last year’s version was a full community festival featuring a live band and food trucks.
Date: Friday, May 24 (kickoff night), with shows on most nights through Aug. 24
Location: Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain Park, Georgia
How to watch: The Music Across America Drone & Light Show is a centerpiece of the theme park that’s located only minutes from downtown Atlanta. The 250 choreographed color-changing drones are synced to music and are accompanied by lasers, too.
Performances are held most nights between May 24 and August 24, though check the schedule to confirm a performance is scheduled on your intended day. Admission to see the drone show is included when you purchase an Attractions ticket, though you can also attend by purchasing a standalone ticket. Learn more about the Stone Mountain Park drone show here.
Date: Friday, June 14 (kickoff night) through July 7 (most nights)
Location: Pleasanton, California
How to watch: The Alameda County Fair has used drones in past years, and the drone light show is set to return for the 2024 fair. The California fair features your usual classics like carnival rides, funnel cakes, horse racing and concerts. But the drone show is rather unique — and free with admission. It plays every night of the fair except July 4.
And though it’s visible all over the Fairgrounds, the best viewing is at the race track. If you’re not sure what days to visit, consider going on opening day (Friday, June 14) or Friday, July 28. On those two days, the drone show will be accompanied by fireworks. Learn more about the Alameda County Fair here.
Date: Saturday, June 15 (kickoff night) through Aug. 11
Location: Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
How to watch: Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration is a summer festival held at the Dollywood theme park. You’ll need a theme park ticket to enter, which grants you access to all the rides, plus bonus summer activities like a nighttime dance party beneath the Wildwood Grove tree and a bubble show. The highlight though, is a nightly drone show.
The celebration kicks off on June 15, but the drone show runs nightly through the duration of the festival, which runs through Aug. 11. Learn more about the Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration here.
Date: Saturday, July 6
Location: Long Sault, Ontario, Canada
How to watch: Long Sault is a community event that centers around a parade of kayaks, canoes, motor boats, and sailboats — all decorated with LED lights. But the lights aren’t contained to just the water. There’s also a drone light show involved.
Learn more about Long Sault here.
Date: Friday, July 19
Location: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California
How to watch: You’ll need to purchase a ticket to the A’s game, which is being played against the Los Angeles Angels. Following the baseball game, fans will be allowed to sit on the outfield grass to watch the drone show. The game begins at 6:40 p.m., but the drone show won’t start until the game is over.
If you’re really on a budget, you’ll be able to watch it from outside the stadium. If you park in the A’s lot, you’ll get hit with a $30 parking fee. Or, you could take BART (the region’s train system) in and walk over to the parking lot, where you’ll be able to see the show. Learn more about the A’s drone light show here.
Date: Friday, August 2
Location: Grand Haven, Michigan
How to watch: This massive event draws more than 350,000 people, ranging from people looking for a big picnic to high-ranking Coast Guard dignitaries from Washington, D.C. 2024 marks 100 years of the annual event which began in 2024. To celebrate, Starlight Drone Shows will be putting on a drone light show. Learn more about the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival here.
Date: Friday, August 23
Location: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California
How to watch: You’ll need to purchase a ticket to the A’s game, which is being played against the Milwaukee Brewers. Following the baseball game, fans will be allowed to sit on the outfield grass to watch the drone show. The game begins at 6:40 p.m., but the drone show won’t start until the game is over.
If you’re really on a budget, you’ll be able to watch this drone light show from outside the stadium. If you park in the A’s lot, you’ll get hit with a $30 parking fee. Or, you could take BART (the region’s train system) in and walk over to the parking lot, where you’ll be able to see the show. Learn more about the A’s drone light show here.
Date: Monday, September 30
Location: Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, Paris, France
How to watch: You’ll need a Disney ticket to see this Disney drone show — and you’ll also have to head to France. The Disney Electrical Sky Parade is the latest in a series of drone shows that have occurred at Disneyland Park in France.
This one debuted in January 2024 and pays homage to the famous Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade — this time putting the iconic sparkling floats in drone form as they fly around the sky. Though I’ve noted this drone show in the September section, note that you can already see it as you’re reading this. It runs nightly through Sept. 30, 2024.
Date: Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
How to watch: While most drone shows happen at night to take advantage of the night time darkness, these drone shows will happen in the morning — albeit so early it’ll still be dark. The annual balloon fiesta is a site to see with all sorts of hot air balloons as well as entertainment like dancers and musicians. There are balloon races, balloon pin trading, and even other flight exhibitions like a kite show. And at 5:45 on both weekend mornings, there will be a drone light show.
Learn more about the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival here.
Keep in mind that the above list is not exhaustive, and new drone light shows are being announced all the time. I’ve also very likely overlooked the myriad of small drone shows that are becoming increasingly common. This list hones in on shows that someone might be more inclined to travel to, or that are otherwise quite easy to see, such as occurring in a big public place with free viewing.
And expect plenty of holiday time drone shows to be announced later this year. Since it’s so far out, I don’t expect to hear about those schedules for at least a few months. We’ll be updating this post with more shows as we learn of them.
By the way, if you’ve got a great drone light show recommendation that people should consider in 2024, do share it by leaving a comment below! And if you’re looking for 2024 drone events that aren’t just drone light shows (I’m talking conferences, expos and seminars), check out my guide to the best 2024 drone events to attend in the coming year.
The post How to watch a drone light show in 2024 appeared first on The Drone Girl.
If you’ve wanted to put on your own drone light show but have no actual technically skills, you likely won’t need any in 2024 anyway. That’s because Verge Aero is set to roll out software that’s effectively Drone Light Show for Dummies, called Verge Aero Composer.
The drone light show company recently announced its new Verge Aero Composer software tool, and it’s specifically intended to “lower the barrier to entry for the drone show industry.”
It’s a drag-and-drop interface that makes it possible to put together a drone show in what the company claims to be “seconds” — all with no technical experience necessary.
Nils Thorjussen, CEO of Verge Aero, said the software is primarily targeting smaller players who might want to put on drone shows, such as small towns, existing businesses or beginning entrepreneurs. After all, it’s become increasingly more popular to see drone shows at things like community July Fourth events, or to augment things like local Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. And given how drones are more environmentally friendly (and can also net out to be cheaper) than the most stereotypical alternative, fireworks, this newly-launched idiot-proof software could be welcome to everything from budding entrepreneurs to environmentalists to event planners.
“Our goal at Verge Aero is to democratize this very technical and nascent industry with a high barrier to entry,” said Nils Thorjussen, CEO of Verge Aero, in a prepared statement. “As we’ve continued to expand our offerings through 2023, we’re thrilled to be able to bring Verge Aero Composer to the market, greatly enhancing the ability for individuals to become drone show operators, going from an idea to the sky in really a matter of minutes.”
Verge Aero claims that the software further cuts down on the amount of time needed to design a drone show — going from hours to just seconds.
It’s a pretty straightforward solution that operates almost exactly as it sounds.
Once you have the software loaded on your computer, you’ll have access to a library of designs and show elements. Drag those into a timeline — much like you’d edit a video using a simple editing tool like iMovie — and you can pull together a full show. And to make it at least a bit less cookie cutter, you can further customize your drone display with personalized logos and text.
Of course, keep in mind that the software is fairly basic, so don’t expect to match the quality that you might expect from performances such as those that were recently named the best drone light shows of 2023.
But for people new to the drone industry, or small businesses looking to break into drone light shows (as well as simply organizations like small
The Verge Aero Composer is intentionally designed to integrate with the company’s other software products which include:
Consider it the final piece in rounding out Verge Aero’s software offerings. People seeing to go deeper into design might still use the full-featured Design Studio. Of course Verge Aero Control Hub is essential for flying the drones, while the Skystream app is an audience-friendly way to offer audio streaming directly to audiences phones in sync with performances.
And of course, all that software is there to supplement the star of Verge Aero’s product offerings: the X7 drone itself. The Verge X7 drone launched in October 2023 a an upgraded version of the former X1 model. In the transfer from X1 to X7, Verge Aero added more compact storage for easier transportation, faster battery charging, longer battery life, more precise GPS capabilities and bolstered wind and rain resistance. It also honed in on user-friendly enhancements to the integrated control software — which leads to the latest news around Verge Aero Composer.
The Verge Aero Composer was introduced at the LDI Conference in Las Vegas, which is shaping up to be the hub for all things drone light shows. Also during that conference, SPH Engineering seized the opportunity to name the winners of its 4th Annual International Drone Show Competition. The conference also entailed an actual drone light show — this one put on by the folks at Sky Elements Drones (Sky Elements uses drones made by light show drone maker Uvify, which is a competitor of sorts to Verge Aero).
The software isn’t ready just yet. It won’t be available for subscribers until February 2024. As for the subscription fee, it’s $60 per drone annually. So, for a drone light show company with $100 drones, that’d shake out to $6,000. Though, it’s included for customers who already pay for Verge Aero Design Studio, which is effectively the advanced version of the new Composer software.
And perhaps not surprisingly, you also need to buy the actual Verge Aero drones in order to use the software — it won’t work with any other light show drone. While there is no minimum package for Verge Aero drones, you likely wouldn’t buy just one. Most drone light shows entail 100 — if not many hundreds — of drones flying in the air at one time. Verge Aero won’t disclose how much a drone costs, but you can get more information about purchasing Verge Aero systems through the company’s website.
The post Drone light show for dummies: Verge Aero launches ridiculously easy way to make your own show appeared first on The Drone Girl.
Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade has been a theme park classic ever since it launched at the original Disneyland theme park in California in 1972. It’s had on and off runs, with regular updates to make the 70s parade relevant to a modern audience. And this latest update, the Disney Electrical Sky Parade, is clear proof that even a parade made in the 1970s can still be cutting edge.
Disneyland Paris this month created its own version of Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade. This one isn’t a parade with floats rolling through the streets though. No, this one is a drone light show. It takes the iconic soundtrack of electro-syntho-magnetic music, remixes it and sets drones to fly in sync with it. The drones take the shapes of some of the original parade’s most iconic floats, including a train and Elliott from the 1977 film “Pete’s Dragon.”
The whole drone show is augmented with projections on the theme park’s centerpiece, “Sleeping Beauty Castle.” It runs about 10 minutes, but you don’t have to travel all the way to France to watch it. Check out the YouTube version of the Electrical Sky Parade below:
The Disney Electrical Sky Parade debuted on Jan. 8 2024. Though it’s an incredible show, it’s actually a pre-show of sorts, occurring right before the theme park’s nighttime spectacular called Disney Dreams.
The show will run nightly through Sept. 30, 2024 (though there are a few date exceptions, and the show is subject to cancellation for severe weather). As far as the best viewing spot, head in front of the castle. Dronisos recommends viewing its shows from about 300 meters (just under 1,000 feet) away. Though, if it’s a clear night with calm weather, drone light shows have been spotted more than a kilometer (over a half-mile) away.
Come October, Disney will turn over to seasonal entertainment, ending its run to make way for Disney Halloween Festival and later Disney Enchanted Christmas, both of which feature their own parades and nighttime spectaculars.
The drone show is a collaboration between the Disneyland Paris Entertainment teams and Dronisos, which is a company that puts on drone shows around the world.
As far as the drones themselves, those are also French. Dronisos has a partnership with French drone maker Parrot (they’re most recognizable with their now-defunct Bebop drone). The partnership allows Dronisos to build upon Parrot’s drone platform to specifically develop performance drone systems for entertainment.
Though these are hardly recognizable as Parrot drones. And though there’s a growing list of companies that make light show drones, it wouldn’t be fair to call Parrot one of them. That’s because Dronisos says it heavily modifies the hardware and software of these drones to make them work for drone light shows.
Dronisos actually bought the licence from Parrot to take the company’s Mambo, Bebop 2 and Anafi 1 drones and remake them. Dronisos has taken the Mambo (which was initially marketed as a toy drone) and renamed it “Helios” as an indoor-only light show drone. The Parrot Bebop 2 has been reworked with a light into the Zephyr drone, and the Anafi is renamed as the Autan. Both the Autan and Zephyr can be used indoors or outdoors, and all three light show drones are built in France.
Dronisos has become the ‘official technology supplier of Disneyland Paris’ and is also the team that powered previous Disneyland Paris drone shows including Disney D-Light and Avengers: Power the Night.
Dronisos has also worked with other theme parks, including the Dollywood Summer 2023 drone show.
And as far as how much the Electrical Sky Parade drone light show costs? Disney won’t disclose it. But for context, Texas-based Verge Aero says its drone shows usually cost between $50,000 to $200,000 for a customized, outdoor drone light show. Luckily, Disney gets the benefit of repeatable, so it’s likely the costs are far, far lower. No matter the mechanism, light shows are hardly cheap in any form. Disney spends an estimated $33,000 per show for its fireworks spectacular at its Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Fla.
The post Disney Electrical Sky Parade is best theme park drone show yet — watch it here appeared first on The Drone Girl.
It’s fair to say 2023 was the ultimate year of drone light shows. Sure, I might be biased — as this is the year I saw my first in-person drone light show (that was a Star Wars show at The Oakland Coliseum Stadium by Sky Elements).
But it’s also the year that drone light shows broke into some of those everyday joys (for example, like Serena Williams’ baby gender reveal party). And it’s the year we saw them in increasingly more theme parks (did you see the Hong Kong Disney Frozen land drone show?), small town July Fourth celebrations and at conferences.
And this year, I had the pleasure of judging the single greatest event in recognizing the best of all those shows: the 4th International Drone Show Competition from SPH Engineering.
After a year of collecting the best drone shows, countless hours spent among the folks putting them on, and yes — hours of judging all those videos to rewind and replay them all to whittle down the winners — it’s fair to say the best drone light shows of 2023 are official.
This week, SPH Engineering announced the winners, which are a set of 22 of the best drone light shows of 2023.
The 22 best drone light shows of 2023 were chosen from a pool of 105 applicants who come from 24 different countries. Entries were grouped into any of the eight possible categories, which were:
And with that, here were the winners of SPH Engineering’s Best Drone Shows of 2023 awards:
That show is pretty extraordinary, merging the fairy tale “The Bremen Musicians” with endangered species. It pays special attention to the use of music, tying each frame of animation closely to the sounds — all the while raising awareness about wildlife conservation.
Watch it here:
Here were the other categories, as well as the top three on the podium in each category:
It’s certainly not a coincidence that the top drone shows of 2023 were named through, yes, a drone light show of its own. The results were presented in Las Vegas as part of the Live Design International Trade Show (LDI) at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the LDI 2023 Expo.
Sky Elements Drones (which had plenty of its own podium spots in the competition) put on the drone light show for the awards ceremony, illuminating the Las Vegas sky with 400 drones. This show featured winning-themed icons, including a trophy. As is the trend with many drone shows to arrange drones as QR codes in the sky, this show had a QR code linking to a webpage with the winners.
This is the fourth year of the competition , which began in 2020 as a tiny contest to showcase drone show choreography. Since then, the drone has evolved dramatically with more entries, winners and location representation.
We’ve linked to the first place videos below, but you can watch all the winning entries on SPH’s winner’s page here.
Of these, which ones do you think deserve the title of Best drone light shows of 2023? Leave a comment below!
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