More and more events are swapping out fireworks for drones for spectacular shows that light up the night sky.
Such shows are growing more ambitious, too, with a recent one in Shanghai, China, setting a new world record for the number of drones used.
Marking the official launch of Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand in the Chinese market last month, the show saw 3,281 LED light-equipped drones head skyward, with the iconic Shanghai skyline adding its own splash of color to proceedings.
The video below features some of the stand-out moments from the record-breaking drone show.
“The performance, titled the ‘Genesis of Genesis,’ represented the beginning of the brand in China and transformed the skies of central Shanghai into a canvas for thousands of illuminated drones to ‘paint’ the brand story of Genesis,” Hyundai said in a release.
The show broke the record when 3,281 drones came together to create the Genesis emblem, with the moment captured in the image at the top of this page.
A growing number of companies are creating drone shows, Intel and U.K.-based Celestial among them. Hyundai didn’t say who was behind its record-breaking event in Shanghai. We’ve asked the Korean automaker for more details and we’ll add them to this article if we hear back.
Intel recently used 500 drones to light up the skies over Dublin, Ireland, in a show celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, while last year it collaborated with Walmart to create a stunning show featuring around 1,000 drones.
Its service doesn’t come cheap, with the company charging $99,000 for a show featuring 200 drones, rising to $299,000 for an event using 500 drones. For that price, Intel promises a performance that will “fill the sky with flowing and lively 3D animations, with swift transitions that move like motion graphics.”
Celestial, another company making a name for itself in the same sector, saw in the New Year in Scotland with various displays over famous Scottish landmarks.
Such displays usually involve small, versatile quadcopters laden with LED lights. The displays are preprogrammed using powerful software that ensures the precise timing of all of the maneuvers as well as the control of the lights.
