Channel Fourth of July spirit with these drone light shows

The Fourth of July is synonymous with hot dogs, parades, and fireworks. But it’s on its way to becoming known as the day of drone light shows, too.

Particularly given environmental and noise pollution concerns grow around fireworks (not to mention the fire hazard amidst one of the driest, hottest summers yet), drone light shows are becoming an increasingly popular, safer alternative. Beyond the fact that shows use synchronized drones to create stunning visuals without the pollution and noise, they’re also more detailed than fireworks.

We’re willing to say that pretty soon, drone light shows may become synonymous with The Fourth of July, if it isn’t already. One of the biggest drone light show companies, Sky Elements, says it’s scheduled to fly more than 35 Fourth of July drone shows across 12 states. Its smallest Fourth of July drone show will have just 100 drones, and its largest will have 500.

Sky Elements is famous for being the first drone light show to get FAA approval to attach fireworks to drones. But there are hundreds of drone light show companies out there — many of which claim their own innovations to their name, including record-setting drone shows by size.

In honor of July Fourth, we rounded up some of our personal favorite drone light show videos on Instagram to share with you. It’s not the same as watching a drone show in person, but it’s still pretty neat. And hey, if you want to catch a drone light show in person, check out our guide to the top public drone shows of 2024, including a list of some scheduled for later this year.

But before you do, check out these delightful drone show videos:

@lunalitedroneshow

For International Reggae Day, the LunaLite drone show used over 500 drones to create this hyper-realistic image of Bob Marley.

@skyelementsdrones

Sky Elements was The Drone Girl, Sally French’s first ever drone show. They put on this American themed drone show in California.

@skymagicdroneshows

Drone light shows aren’t just for American celebrations. Sky Magic Drone Show was commissioned by BBC studios for King Charles’ Coronation Concert, flying over Windsor Castle, Cardiff Bay, and the Eden Project.

@fireflydroneshows

Firefly, based in Detroit, Michigan, is one of the best American drone companies that puts on drone light shows. This particular drone show was put on at a theme park in Indiana and celebrates different holidays.

@chicago.explore

Navy Pier in Chicago is known for their summer fireworks. For Chicago’s 107th birthday, they celebrated with a drone light show.

@lumaskyshow

The drone show company Lumasky celebrated the Spring Equinox at Chichén Itzá, Mexico, followed by a 2500-drone light show narrating its history.

@seoul_4k

This drone light show took place in Korea’s capital, Seoul.

@magicdrone.fr

The drone light show company, Magic Drone, created a drone show highlighting the iconic art of the Louvre. Check out that Mona Lisa!