JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The skies above downtown Duval are about to get a lot brighter and have a bit more music. This weekend over a thousand of synchronized drones will descend upon the area surrounding EverBank Stadium for an immersive performance pairing high-tech aerial art with live classical music.
The DroneArt show, produced by Fever, features a string quartet performing nature-themed compositions while over 1,000 drones—operated by Nova Sky Stories—simulate the four seasons through intricate animal and nature formations.
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“It is a beautiful drone show that pairs with an amazing candlelight classical music concert,” Jeremy Sutherland, Senior Project Manager with Fever DroneArt Show, said. “A lot of the drone imagery connects to those themes of nature and animals.”
While the spectacle promises wonder, it arrives under a shadow of past industry incidents. Two years ago, a holiday display in Orlando operated by a different firm, Sky Elements LLC, saw drones plummet into the crowd, resulting in the hospitalization of a seven-year-old boy.
Fever and Nova Sky Stories have no affiliation with Sky Elements LLC. To ensure public safety, organizers have established a 500,000-square-foot “no-go” zone between the spectators and the flight path.
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“That’s a couple of streets worth of space closed off to any guests or vehicle traffic,” Sutherland explained. “That’s just to make sure we have the drones in the sky and a clear space underneath in case anything were to occur.”
Beyond the safety perimeter, the production follows strict FAA regulations and utilizes a team of on-site pilots to manage pre-registered flight plans. Organizers said the event is one of the longest-duration drone performances currently touring, as the drones will be up in the air for 45 minutes during the 65-minute show.
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Due to local weather conditions, Friday night’s event has been postponed to Sunday. Performances will now run on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Tickets for the remaining shows are currently available via the Fever website. They say they will come back with different shows later this year.
TICKETS: DroneArt Show - Jacksonville - Tickets | Fever
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