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If you want a fresh way to feel the holiday spirit this year, it’s not just the mall lights or neighborhood displays you’ll be looking at. Holiday drone shows are sweeping across the US, offering families a high-tech reason to bundle up and head outdoors. And leading the charge is Sky Elements, a drone light show provider that’s planning more than 80 shows from early December through New Year’s Eve.

What began as a mesmerizing light show over the skies of Liuyang, China, quickly turned into an apocalyptic nightmare. Hundreds of spectators ran for their lives as a high-tech drone and fireworks performance erupted into chaos, showering the crowd below with blazing debris.

When Los Angeles wildfires raged earlier this year, every minute counted. But one tech mogul’s reckless curiosity with a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone grounded a vital firefighting plane mid-mission, and now he’s paying the price.

When you think of the Vatican, you imagine centuries-old art, sacred rituals, soaring architecture. But this weekend, St. Peter’s Square got a futuristic makeover: over 3,000 custom drones danced and painted the sky with light, recreating Michelangelo’s masterpieces, honoring the late Pope Francis, and bringing together music, tech, and faith like never before.

In a case that highlights the sharp legal and safety stakes when drones operate near crowds, a Queens woman filed suit earlier this year after being struck by a DJI drone during a Fourth of July drone-and-fireworks display in New York.

A 71-year-old Chinese-born Canadian citizen has been deported from the United States after pleading guilty to using his DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone to capture hundreds of unauthorized images of Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida.

The fallout from last year’s holiday drone show mishap at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando has escalated into the courtroom. Earlier this month, Adriana Edgerton, the mother of a 7-year-old boy struck by a malfunctioning drone during the December 21, 2024, performance, filed a sweeping negligence and product liability lawsuit in Orange County Circuit Court against the City of Orlando and four companies tied to the event.

On July 14, 2023, a much‑publicized drone light show over Victoria Harbour in Melbourne’s Docklands district never made it to the crowd‑pleasing finale. Instead, 427 of the 500 drones crashed into the water after a cascade of control errors and mid‑air collisions sent the swarm spiraling out of control.

A drone helping police find a missing person recently became the target of a wild firework attack — and now one man is facing serious charges.

If you’re vacationing near the Jersey Shore and notice a swarm of drones overhead, don’t panic — it’s all part of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) experiment. From April 14 to 25, the FAA is conducting a large-scale drone detection test near New Jersey’s Cape May Ferry Terminal, aiming to enhance airspace safety.​

A northern Michigan man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly shooting a DJI police drone out of the sky during a tense standoff with law enforcement.

In a twist that sounds like a plot from a spy novel, a 71-year-old Canadian tourist’s drone hobby has landed him in serious legal trouble. Meet Xiao Guang Pan from Brampton, Ontario, who now faces charges for flying his drone over the highly sensitive Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida.

Welcome to The Buzz, a weekly roundup of news about consumer, enterprise, and defense uses for drones. For now, it’s in a written format, but soon there will be a return to our weekly podcast format. This week was a big week for controversies; between the investigation of the LA fire’s drone crash, Red Cat’s potential fraud, and DJI dropping No-Fly Zones, there was a lot.

Hundreds of spectators gathered at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando on December 21, expecting a dazzling holiday-themed drone show. Instead, they witnessed chaos as drones crashed midair, plunged into the lake, and veered off course. The worst of it? A 7-year-old boy was struck by one of the falling drones, suffering serious injuries that led to open-heart surgery. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report detailing what went wrong, and the findings are alarming.

The FBI has unveiled photos of a DJI Mini drone responsible for damaging a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft during the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. The drone collision, which occurred in restricted airspace, caused a 3×6-inch hole in the plane’s left wing, forcing it to land for repairs and delaying firefighting operations by up to 30 minutes.

What was meant to be a dazzling alternative to fireworks ended in chaos as drones from South Carolina’s Folly Beach New Year’s Eve show plummeted to the ground, injuring one spectator. The mishap, reminiscent of a recent drone show debacle in Florida, has sparked an investigation into what went wrong.

The festive cheer of Orlando’s Lake Eola Park turned to shock and fear on December 21 when drones from a Sky Elements light show malfunctioned, colliding mid-air and plummeting into the crowd below. The incident, which left multiple people shaken and a 7-year-old boy requiring emergency heart surgery, has triggered widespread cancellations of drone shows nationwide and intense regulatory scrutiny.

What began as a magical evening of holiday cheer turned into a nightmare for thousands gathered at Lake Eola Park in Orlando, Florida, when several drones fell from the sky during a light show. Among the injured was a 7-year-old boy, Alezander Edgerton, who required emergency heart surgery after being struck by a drone.

In a dazzling display of holiday spirit and technological prowess, Sky Elements Drone Shows has set a new Guinness World Record for the “Longest Animation Performed by Drones.” The North Texas-based company orchestrated a 30-minute aerial narrative featuring 2,500 drones, surpassing the previous record of 26 minutes and 26 seconds held by a Chinese firm.

A DJI drone has crashed into a delivery truck in Georgetown, South Carolina, reportedly after striking a bird mid-flight. The incident, which caused approximately $1,200 in damage to the vehicle, has left local authorities puzzled about the drone’s ownership and purpose.

Boston police acted swiftly this weekend to stop a dangerous drone operation perilously close to Logan International Airport. Officers arrested two men, Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and Jeremy Folcik, 32, of Bridgewater, after a tense chase on Long Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands.

Amid growing public concern over mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey, experts are stepping forward to provide clarity and promote balanced discourse around the technology. Reports of drones, some described as car-sized clusters, flying at night have sparked alarm, particularly in areas near sensitive locations like Bedminster and Picatinny Arsenal. While these sightings have prompted an FBI investigation, drone technology leaders stress the importance of separating fact from fiction to prevent undue fear and overregulation.

A Chinese national has been apprehended at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), moments before boarding a flight to China, in connection with an unauthorized drone flight over the highly secure Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The National Football League (NFL), Justice Department, and FBI are urging Congress to act swiftly to bolster defenses against rogue drones threatening public safety at stadiums and critical facilities. Testifying before a House subcommittee on Tuesday, NFL security chief Cathy Lanier emphasized the urgency, stating, “The time to act to keep fans safe is now.”