Live events: Drone shows reach new heights
Drone light shows, either as standalone experiences or as part of larger live events, are growing in popularity – and in ambition. These examples, all from the past few months, give a good indication of the state of the art in drone shows. However, this is a fast-moving area and the desire among event organisers to create ever-greater spectacles remains strong.
Nutcracker show sets two Guinness World records
Let’s start in December 2023. In an event at Birdville Fine Arts Athletics Complex, North Richland Hills, Texas, Sky Elements used 1499 drones to tell the story of the Nutcracker ballet. The show brought to life characters including the Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Santa Claus and, in a beautiful 3D rendition, the Nutcracker himself.
The show set two new Guinness World records – the largest aerial display of a fictional character, and the largest aerial image.
4,000 drones at Dubai World Cup
Drones can be complemented by other technologies, including lighting and fireworks. One recent example using all of these was at the closing ceremony of the Dubai (horse racing) World Cup in March 2024. Here a stunning display of 4,000 drones created dynamic 3D sculptures during a 33-minute performance.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes video from show creator AO Multimedia and Drones.
Disney topples Nutcracker
Just a few months after the Nutcracker show, one of the records it set was broken. The Bastille Day (14 July) firework and drone show at Disneyland Paris took the record for largest aerial display of a fictional character with a 1571-drone tricolour representation of Mickey Mouse.
You can see it right at the end of this video.
We believe that this show was the work of French drone show creator Dronisos.
… then Disney topples itself
Just a few days later another part of the Disney empire, Marvel Studios, broke the same record twice in the same evening. It used 1599 drones to display an image of the character Deadpool at Comic-Con in San Diego, then moments later showed a 1607-drone rendering of Wolverine.
Meanwhile, just before the Paris Olympics…
On the same night as the Disney spectacular, another drone show was taking place about 40km away at a Paris Olympics preview event. Centred on the Eiffel Tower, this combined drone representations of an Olympic torchbearer and other figures with a spectacular firework display
This video is from drone manufacturer HighGreat.
So what’s the biggest drone display ever?
At the time of writing, the record for biggest drone display ever is held by UVify – a manufacturer whose light show drones were demonstrated in the Drone Arena at ISE 2024. At an event in Songdo, South Korea, the manufacturer lit up the night sky with 5293 of its IFO high-performance choreography swarm drones, setting a new record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) airborne simultaneously.
There are some breathtaking sequences in this video.
Attack of the drones
But while setting new records is one way to wow crowds (and online viewers), creative displays involving fewer drones can be impressive in other ways. Let’s finish with a 20-minute retelling of Star Wars: A New Hope, created with 800 drones by Sky Elements at Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California at the start of May 2024, just ahead of Star Wars Day (‘May the Fourth be with you’).
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The Lighting and Staging Zone continues to grow, which has led to its relocation to Hall 6 for ISE 2025. -
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The history of live events has always involved pushing current technology to its limit to achieve new and memorable results. -
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Ever more elaborate live events - and not just in the entertainment world - mean that the market for lighting and staging solutions remains a healthy one.
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