Drone light show

A bevy of drones dancing to a Coldplay song, A Sky Full of Stars, was one of the most memorable parts of America’s Got Talent: Extreme season premiere earlier this year. That standout performance earned Philadelphia drone show company Verge Aero the “Golden Ticket” from judge Simon Cowell, which catapulted the group straight to the finale. Now, the FAA is revealing how federal aviation inspectors worked behind the scenes to make Verge Aero’s drone shows a reality.

Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, has acquired more than 9,000 drones from Intel to form a new drone light show company, Nova Sky Stories. While the terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed by either party, the chipmaker has confirmed that it will no longer run the Intel Drone Light Shows unit.

Not only are drone light shows redefining the future of entertainment, but they have also emerged as a highly effective and memorable marketing tool for film and television production companies. When hundreds of light-equipped drones fly around in unison, illuminating the night skies and creating diverse formations, they tell stories that are hard to forget. This is why everyone from Warner Bros. and Marvel to Netflix and Disney has been counting on drone light shows to create a buzz around their latest venture. Take a look…

Germany-based Nocturne Drones, which specializes in putting together dazzling drone light shows for customers such as E.ON, Xbox, and the state of Saxony-Anhalt on the Day of German Unity, is announcing the formation of a new business unit to protect its events from unauthorized aircraft. Joining forces with San Francisco’s Dedrone, the company is establishing Nocturne Drone Defense Systems to integrate drone detection systems inside its drone show control vehicles.

Egypt is famous for its harsh drone laws. But last week, something amazing happened. The country hosted its first-ever drone light show. And it did so to rally together a group of youth from 196 African, European, Asian, North American, and Latin American countries.

A woman in China has stirred an online frenzy after spending a small fortune to celebrate her dog’s 10^th birthday. This pet lover from central China’s Hunan province dished out a whopping 100,000 yuan ($15,700) to organize a drone light show for her beloved pooch, but local police say the celebration was far from legal.

Ras Al Khaimah, a city in the United Arab Emirates, has a new claim to fame. A drone fireworks display conducted as part of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations has clinched two Guinness World Records titles.

Home to more than 1,400 unique and traditional holiday events spread across 40 days, Grapevine holds an official trademark for being the “Christmas Capital of Texas.” And this year, along with the sparkle of millions of lights, enormous decorations, and animated characters, the town is playing host to two Christmas-themed drone light shows.

Bust out the glow sticks and neon bands! After enthralling concert-goers in Las Vegas last month, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is bringing its 25^th edition celebrations to Orlando this weekend. And once again, counting down to the fireworks at the opening ceremony will be mesmerizing drone shows.

The Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is one of the biggest dance music festivals in the world. Last weekend, it attracted more than 500,000 fans to Las Vegas over a three-day period. The logistics were a bit of a nightmare, but the one thing that everyone agreed was amazing was a drone light show during the opening ceremonies.

It’s raining drones in Zhengzhou. As the capital of China’s Henan province hosted a drone light show last weekend, a massive fail sent the machines tumbling out of the sky. The show organizer has since reported the incident to the local police, alleging interference by a competitor.

The dancing, dazzling drones may paint a picture of perfection and harmony for the audience time after time. But both the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been the most challenging of all drone lights shows for Intel, Madeleine Ong, Interim GM of Intel Drone Light Shows, tells DroneDJ.

More than 1,800 drones configuring smoothly into a revolving planet Earth was one of the most talked-about parts of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Fans were expected to be wowed by even more drones at the closing ceremony today. And they did get wowed, but not by a drone light show. The display today was “made for TV” special effects magic.

Intel has generated a great deal of well-deserved praise for the performance of its uncrewed aerial vehicles during the light show for the Tokyo Games’ opening ceremonies. But Intel has been using its drones and powerful tech applications in other ways that are enhancing the Summer Olympics experience.

Dollywood, one of the best theme parks in the world, is running drone light shows until July 31 as part of its 2021 summer extravaganza. The production of this drone display, which is integrated into a choreographed fireworks show, is said to have cost a half-million dollars. And now, a new video offers a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation that goes into putting together a drone show that’s both stunning and safe, day after day.

Travis Scott is often hailed as the music industry’s unofficial king of elaborate promotional stunts. And judging by what went down at the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami last weekend, we’ll have to agree. The rapper got 250 drones to form a scannable QR code during his concert set, which directed fans to a Spotify pre-save link for his new single “Escape Plan.”

You have seen the awe-inspiring revolving globe drone show at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Now, watch hundreds of drones take off and ascend toward the night sky like stunning shooting stars in this new behind-the-scenes video.

It’s on. After a year-long delay, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics have finally begun, albeit in the shadow of COVID-19. The opening ceremony today at the $1.5 billion Olympic Stadium was an extravaganza that was both celebratory and subdued. But our favorite part came right toward the end when more than 1,800 drones took to the skies to form a globe over the stadium as artists from five continents sang Imagine.

A major drone light show in China ended with some of the drones descending into the audience. The descents appeared controlled, but we can’t imagine why they would be intentional.

The Communist Party of China (CPC), which has ruled China continuously since 1949, is celebrating its 100^th anniversary. And to commemorate the occasion, 5,200 drones lit up the night sky in Longgang, Shenzhen, last week. The massive drone light show, which should be going down in Guinness World Records, showcased some of the most pivotal chapters from the party’s history.

Drone light shows are a lot more environmentally friendly than fireworks. In an ideal world, we would see drone shows replace fireworks completely. For now, though, there are quite a few cities, big and small, that are planning to light up their skies with drones and fireworks alike this Fourth of July. Here are six where you can catch a drone light show on Sunday…