SEATTLE — There’s a new display trend in the sky over the Fourth of July holiday that has created some competition for fireworks over the last several years. Drone shows are skyrocketing in popularity.
“A drone show can give customizability,” Sky Elements Drones production manager Tyler Kubicz said. “Anything you want in the sky you can put in the sky.”
There are some cities in Western Washington that have made the switch from fireworks to drones. For example, the Des Moines annual Fourth of July celebration will feature drones for the second year in a row. It is put on by Texas-based Sky Elements.
The city eliminated the fireworks show to prevent pollution and debris from falling in Puget Sound.
Drone shows are also growing in popularity because they eliminate the risk of fires, are something new, and are quieter than fireworks.
"It's a lot safer at the end of the day," Kubicz said.
The drone shows are becoming more popular outside of the Fourth of July too. Sky Elements Drones also put on the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Week drone show and the drone show that accompanied fireworks during New Year’s at the Space Needle.
Later this month, 200 drones will light up the night sky at the Renton River Days kickoff.
However, fireworks shows still draw the crowds. Fireworks are intertwined with Independence Day.
"You hear them. You see them. You smell them. You feel them,” Northwest Pyrotechnic Association president Ellen Webb said.
Webb builds traditional Japanese-style ball shells. They turn into glorious explosions in the sky.
"I really do believe there's always going to be a place for fireworks, because it is such a unique experience,” Webb said.
Webb said that despite the growing popularity of drones, fireworks productions aren’t seeing a decline in business because of the drone shows.
"It's like comparing a painting versus a photograph,” Webb said. “They're still art. They still have a place on the wall in the gallery. They're just different."
Sky Elements agrees. Kubicz said he sees their shows as an alternative to drones and not a replacement. In some cases, they’re teammates too.
This Independence Day, Sky Elements will become the first company to fly fireworks from drones legally.
“When they get really good at integrating the two is where we'll see some pretty cool stuff happening," Webb said of the two industries.
Drone shows tend to be more expensive, according to Kubicz. For example, the city of Des Moines said its drone show costs $90,000.