Bloomington-Normal is kicking off its Fourth of July celebrations with a 300-drone light show, set to take place at 9 p.m. Thursday at the Interstate Center.
The show is the first of its kind for Bloomington-Normal and its hefty price tag was covered through support from State Farm, O'Brien Auto Group, Cybernautic, Stark Excavating, York Public Adjusting, Laborers Local 362 and Gibson Area Hospital, among others.
After connecting with the City of Bloomington and Mayor Dan Brady, Firefly Drone Shows was chosen to put on the show. Firefly Drone Shows is a drone company based in Detroit, Michigan, that has handled all light show preparation from project planning and animations to the sound and day-of activities.
What to expect
At around 15 minutes long, the show will consist of a variety of custom designs. The display will include some traditional patriotic images along with animations specific to Bloomington-Normal and Illinois, making it unique from other America250 shows across the country.
In an interview for WGLT's Sound Ideas, Matthew Sanker, director of sales and lead producer at Firefly Drone Shows, said that they work to keep these shows engaging and personal to its audience.
“It's moving from one movement into the next, and it's supposed to have a bit of a story to it to be really engaging from the beginning all the way to the end,” Sanker said. “We're definitely playing with all sorts of special effects and little tricks that we've picked up over the years.”
Drone shows have grown in popularity in recent years as they are environmentally friendly and pet and vet friendly, as they emit no pollution and do not involve loud noises. Founded in 2017, Firefly is touted as one of the world's only drone show company whose operators are FAA-licensed drone pilots.
As they grow, the technology behind the shows has developed, allowing shows to incorporate unique effects.
“There's so much that that can come from drone shows [such as] playing with pyro drones, where we can start to place small proximity [pyrotechnic] payloads on the drones to make special effects, as well as some more things that we've got up our sleeves,” Sanker said. “Ultimately, there’s a lot that we can expand on in the experience. You can start to create a design that's talking to the audience and we can make the audio sound like that giant face is talking to you.”
Sanker said a typical 300-drone light show is physically a large show, averaging at 400 feet tall and 600 feet wide, creating a show that can be seen for miles.
Behind the show
Preparation for this light show began in late March, providing around three months to plan the show.
Sanker said many logistical actions go into project planning for any light show, especially one in a busy time of year.
“A good portion of [the three months are] put into site assessment, ensuring that we have the appropriate amount of space and working with different partners like the police department to ensure that we can control the area that we need during the show,” Sanker said. “The remaining portion of that time frame is often in tandem used for the design process, so getting an understanding of what we want to put in the show, getting a run of show script put together and ultimately putting together a full animation preview.”
Around 25 people work behind the scenes on putting together this display, with four or five team members who will be on site the day of.
The drones used in the upcoming show are American-made. The drone system and software were all made in the United States and final assembly takes place in Detroit.
To prepare for the 15 minute display, the drones go through a wide range of tests and inspections to ensure that the entire system is ready to fly and all audio is ready.
Alongside the typical Fourth of July firework shows that take place around McLean County, Sanker said this display provides an immersive show for all audiences.
“When the drones take off and we get the first reveal, and you hear the entire audience really enjoying the show,” Sanker said.
Sanker said that moment is what makes all the time and effort worth it.
“We can feel that sense of relief that we've made another awesome experience for the folks, and that's what it's all about," he said.
Gates open at 6 p.m. at the Interstate Center for the free event. There will be food trucks, live performances and family activities leading up to the 9 p.m. drone show. The Front Street Collective will perform from 7-9 p.m. And child-friendly activities will be put on by Iron Coyote in the Bloomington Bison Kids Zone.
"This is a chance to bring people together around a once-in-a-generation milestone," Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said in a statement.
