02 July 2024

For 4th of July celebrations across America this year, will technology dazzle, or are crowds looking to be thrilled by tradition and gunpowder?

As drone light shows continue to evolve, towns and cities planning celebrations for Independence Day can choose the safety and precision of drone productions or the bombast and unpredictability of conventional fireworks. Some are even combining both.

Two years ago, the town of Gypsum, Colorado embraced the modern and went with a drone show for its big 4th of July party. This year, however, it's back to good ol' fireworks.

"The drone shows left us wanting," town manager Jeremy Rietmann told NBC News. "It didn't feel like America. Fireworks can inspire awe like little else can."

According to NBC, it's not just Gypsum—a lot of towns that have tried out drone light shows are switching to fireworks.

"Fireworks touch on all the senses," says Phil Grucci, CEO of Fireworks By Grucci, which has been in business since 1850. "There's the sense of sight and smell, and you can feel and hear fireworks. Drones cover just one sense—eyesight."

However, a lot of celebrations are using drones instead of fireworks because they only treat the eyes. They don't want noise, poor air quality, and fire hazards.

"When you have a lot of fireworks explosions, they are horrific to senior citizens, individuals with disabilities and animals, as well as veterans with post-traumatic stress," says Kurt Cabrera-Miller, president of the Sylmar California Neighborhood Council. "But the main concern is fire prevention.”

"Drones offer a unique storytelling medium," says Rick Boss, president of Sky Elements Drone Shows. "Fireworks and drones can each do things the other cannot do, and we love it when they come together."

To that end, Boss' company is currently testing "Pyro Drones" that can carry fireworks aloft and exploit the benefits of each medium.

The "battle of the skies" between drones and fireworks likely won't be decided any time soon, but the upside of the conflict is that, in the hands of creative artists, each medium has the power to unleash awe.

Happy 4th!