1,000 Drone Show Comes to Jacksonville

A 1,000 drone light show is set to illuminate downtown Jacksonville on Feb. 27 and 28, bringing a large scale DroneArt performance to the skies near EverBank Stadium, as reported by Jacksonville.com

If you see a giant ballerina suspended above the city, that is intentional.

Classical Music Meets 600 Drones in the Air

The show is produced by Fever and designed by Nova Sky Stories, a company known for large format aerial displays around the world.

While 1,000 drones are part of the system, roughly 600 will be airborne at any given time. Each drone is fully RGB programmable, effectively functioning as a single pixel in the sky. Combined, they create three dimensional animations that stretch hundreds of feet across.

On the ground, a live string quartet will perform works by Antonio Vivaldi, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and other classical composers. The drones are synchronized to the music, with flight paths preprogrammed to align precisely with the score.

The full event runs about one hour, with approximately 45 minutes of active drone flight.

Fully Preprogrammed and FAA Coordinated

There is no manual piloting during the event. The drones operate on preprogrammed flight plans, with crews on site to monitor performance and coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Maximum altitude during the performance reaches approximately 400 feet AGL, which is the typical upper limit for small UAS operations in controlled environments with proper authorization.

The show has already toured 19 cities and expanded internationally to Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Because the choreography is tightly synchronized to a fixed musical program, it cannot be customized for each city.

Event Details and Viewing

The performance will take place at Tailgaters Parking across from EverBank Stadium. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Sunday is reserved as a weather backup date.

Tickets range from $34 to $42 for general admission and $105 for VIP seating. On site parking is available for $15.

The drone formations are large enough to be visible from outside the venue. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Organizers say the optimal viewing angle and full synchronized audio experience are available inside the ticketed area.

Drone light shows continue to expand as an alternative to fireworks, offering reusable hardware, precise choreography, and lower localized emissions.

DroneXL’s Take

Large scale drone shows are becoming a global entertainment staple, and Jacksonville’s event highlights how quickly this segment is professionalizing. With 1,000 aircraft in the system and coordinated FAA approval, this is no hobbyist swarm.

For the drone industry, these events serve as both public spectacle and quiet proof of concept. If you can coordinate 600 aircraft over a stadium with musical precision, you are demonstrating scalable airspace management, reliable GNSS synchronization, and disciplined fleet control.

Today it is a ballerina over downtown. Tomorrow, the same technology stack could support advertising, public safety messaging, or even emergency response illumination.

Photo credit: DroneArt Show