Sky Elements

Drone light shows have moved fast over the past few years. What started as a novelty at tech expos and city celebrations is now a full-blown alternative to fireworks — quieter, reusable, and capable of pulling off visuals pyrotechnics never could. But as the sector has scaled, one thing hasn’t always kept pace: shared, industry-wide safety standards. That gap is exactly what the newly launched Drone Light Show Alliance (DLSA) is aiming to fix.

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.

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.