Summer season 2024 is shaping as much as be the season of theme park drone reveals, with nighttime leisure at Walt Disney World, Common Orlando, Dollywood and extra. Even smaller theme parks like Indiana’s Vacation World are leaping on the drone gentle present practice.
I’ve documented a lot of the greatest drone reveals in 2024 occurring across the nation. That listing is way broader, incorporating festivals, conferences, rodeos and even some semi-private occasions. However right here, I’ve honed in on simply theme parks.
Don’t miss these 5 theme park drone reveals
Common Orlando Resort (Orlando, Florida)
I’m not going to even trouble saving one of the best for final. I’m placing what’s very doubtless set to be not simply one of the best theme park drone present of summer season 2024, however maybe one of the best drone present of all the yr, on the entrance of my listing.
Dubbed CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular, the nighttime present at Common Studios Orlando will function 600 drones. They’ll fly in sync to a soundtrack that includes songs from a few of Common’s most beloved movies together with “Harry Potter,” “Jaws,” “Shrek,” “Ghostbusters,” “Trolls, Again to the Future, Common Monsters, Transformers, Tips on how to Prepare Your Dragon, E.T., Quick and Livid, “The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film,” “Minions,” “The Mummy” and King Kong.
True to its identify, this isn’t only a drone present however a full spectacular. The present takes benefit of its location on the waters of the Common Studios Florida lagoon by incorporating water results too. The present options 228 fountains that attain heights as much as 131 ft, in addition to 4K projection mapping on the buildings across the lagoon.
“CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular” kicks off on Friday, June 14.
To look at it, you’ll want a Common Studios Florida theme park ticket. The value of Common Orlando tickets begins at $116. However, they value extra on busy seasons — which is, sure — most summer season nights.
Walt Disney World Resort (Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
The Common Orlando drone present just isn’t the one drone present in Orlando this summer season. You might see drone reveals on back-to-back nights by heading over to Disney Springs. That’s the outside purchasing, eating and leisure district at Walt Disney World.
There, you may watch “Disney Goals That Soar”, which options state-of-the-art drones choreographed to create scenes and characters from beloved Disney tales. It’s all set to a hovering musical rating.
The present runs nightly from Could 24 by means of September 2, 2024.
And although we anticipate the Disney World drone present to doubtless not be as massive of a spectacle as Common’s present, there’s one large purpose why this one is best. It’s free to look at. With its seemingly-endless eating and retailers, Disney Springs makes for probably the greatest free issues to do exterior the Orlando theme parks. The larger-than-life Disney Lego fashions on the Lego Retailer are museum-worthy. In the meantime, the Disney Springs retailers promote distinctive Disney merchandise past the standard plush dolls and jackets. Don’t miss The Artwork of Disney for gallery-style framed prints, DisneyStyle for on-trend style, Disney’s Sweet Cauldron and Disney’s Days of Christmas.
Throw on this free Disney drone present, and Disney Springs is the place to be this summer season.
Disneyland Paris (Marne-la-Vallée, France)
The 2024 Paris Olympics aren’t the one pleasure occurring over in France this summer season.
Head simply exterior of Paris to Marne-la-Vallée, France for Disneyland Paris’s “Disney Electrical Sky Parade.” This drone present pays homage to the basic Foremost Road Electrical Parade, that includes iconic characters and scenes shaped by a whole bunch of drones.
The Disney Electrical Sky Parade present has acquired rave evaluations, with avid park goers calling it the park’s greatest present but. Sure, meaning Disneyland Paris has held a number of drone gentle reveals up to now, together with a Marvel drone present. One other, known as Disney D-Gentle, flew over the theme park’s iconic Sleeping Magnificence Fort.
This present really kicked off again in January 2024, and it runs nightly by means of Sept. 30, 2024. Take into account it one of many greatest issues to do in Paris this summer season moreover the Olympics.
Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee)
Dollywood’s Candy Summer season Nights will probably be again greater and brighter than ever this yr.
This common occasion is changing into one thing of an annual custom. The first Dollywood drone gentle present debuted in 2021, and it’s been going sturdy ever since.
In 2024, its nighttime drone options a whole bunch of drones that accompany fireworks. And simply forward of the present, there’s a dance social gathering, too.
In a 30-minute drone pre-show of kinds, a hyped DJ and energetic dancers construct up anticipation within the park’s Wildwood Grove part. Drones sync up with the end result of the dance social gathering, launching simply because the dance social gathering ends.
The Dollywood’s Candy Summer season Nights Dance Celebration and Drone Present happens nightly at 9:40 p.m., climate allowing.
Vacation World (Santa Claus, Indiana)
Theme park drone reveals aren’t simply restricted to the foremost gamers. Indiana’s Vacation World has a drone present of its personal, that includes 500 drones. Aside from the free Disney World drone present, this ranks among the many most reasonably priced theme park drone reveals you’ll ever see.
Tickets value simply $75 on the gate (and are even cheaper when booked on-line). With a Vacation World ticket, you additionally get extremely beneficiant bonuses you received’t get on the different theme parks. That features free parking, free mushy drinks and free sunscreen. For context round simply how precious that’s, parking alone at Common Orlando prices $32.
When you do wish to splurge a bit extra, contemplate reserving the Drone Present Dessert Celebration. For a further $30 on prime of your theme park admission ticket, you’ll get premium seating plus bottled water, fruit, cheese and dessert.
The Vacation World Drone Present kicks off on Saturday, June 22. Climate-permitting, reveals run nightly by means of Sunday, Aug. 4.
Associated learn: The most important drone present firms on the planet
Why are theme park drone reveals so common?
There are just a few the reason why theme parks proceed to show enthusiasm for drone reveals.
- Gorgeous visuals: Drone reveals supply a complete new degree of creativity and suppleness for nighttime leisure. Drones can create intricate formations, dynamic animations, and vibrant colours that conventional fireworks shows merely can’t match.
- Environmentally pleasant: In contrast to fireworks, drones don’t produce smoke or air air pollution. This can be a main benefit for theme parks trying to scale back their environmental influence.
- Quieter expertise: Fireworks may be loud and startling for some visitors, particularly younger kids. Drone reveals, alternatively, are a lot quieter, making them a extra inclusive type of leisure.
- Scalability and suppleness: Drone reveals can simply scale up or down to suit a theme park’s measurement and price range. They’ll additionally adapt to completely different themes and tales, giving park creators extra inventive freedom.
- Lengthy-term affordability: In contrast to fireworks, which necessitate the acquisition of a contemporary batch of gunpowder for every present, drone reveals are largely a set, upfront value. Usually, gentle present drones value about $1,000 every. That’s per drone, however since they’re reusable, drone gentle reveals can value about $15,000 for smaller reveals (which suggests about 100 drones). The fee per theme parks may be even decrease given the repeatability. Slightly than one-off drone present occasions for festivals or sporting occasions, these reveals can hold prices down since there’s much less setup, and no journey prices concerned.
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