Bloomington-Normal’s first communitywide drone show drew big crowds to the Interstate Center on Thursday night for an America 250-themed party.
Viewers watched 300 LED-lit drones perform a series of complex, preprogrammed movements during the 15-minute show. The drones created animations geared toward the Fourth of July (like an American flag and a Declaration of Independence scroll), while also showing off logos for event sponsors and partners like State Farm, OSF HealthCare, City of Bloomington, and more.
“It’s kind of like marching band in the sky, so each drone knows their dot and their placement as to where they need to go. Our pilot just makes sure each drone knows where they're going and makes sure everything runs smoothly. They're pre-programmed,” said Amanda Violassi from Firefly Drone Shows, a Michigan company hired to run the show.
WGLT got a behind-the-scenes look Thursday afternoon as the team from Firefly meticulously set up for showtime. Firefly builds its own drones and creates the stunning sky animations that have now finally arrived in Bloomington-Normal.
