Indio, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs have all used drones instead of fireworks at Fourth of July and other celebrations.
Palm Desert’s Civic Center Park July 4th Independence Day celebration will receive special enhancements this year to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, but don’t expect to see a patriotic drone show as a part of the festivities.
On Thursday, city staff told councilmembers during a study session that Fourth of July attendees can expect extra red, white, and blue lighting and decorations and 250th anniversary commemorative items in addition to more opportunities for kids and families to encourage them to head to the park before the show starts.
“We’re expanding the children’s area with additional activities, including water-based elements,” Shelby Goodwin, the city’s special events coordinator said. “This would be an attempt to hopefully bring some families out a little bit earlier in the day to get a unique experience, but the heat really predicts what time the crowd comes out.”
The valley’s intense heat is part of the reason councilmembers weren’t in favor of adding a drone show to the event. Staff said the drones have to be staged, programmed and tested during the day, when ground temperatures often exceed 140 degrees in direct sunlight.
High temperatures could put stress on the drone’s batteries, motors, and other electronic components leading to malfunctions.
“I think people are asking for drones because they see so many cities doing it.” said Councilmember Karina Quintanilla. “With proper planning in the future, I think this will be a great opportunity.” Quintanilla said her ultimate decision to reject the idea was an easy one on financial grounds.
In the last two years, Indio has opted for a drone show instead of fireworks on independence day and Cathedral City has opted to use drones for its New Year’s Eve celebration. Palm Springs put on a drone show for Fourth of July in 2021, but has since returned to good old fashioned fireworks.
Cities had a variety of reasons for choosing the drones, Palm Springs said the quieter drone shows were meant to be sensitive to veterans and pets, other cities cite environmental and air quality reasons.
Staff was proposing an eight-minute drone show to the city’s Independence Day celebrations in 2027 that would have been added to the city’s traditional 20-minute firework display.
Annual fireworks displays cost the city an average of $60,000 per year and drone shows would cost an additional $75,000-$90,000. Staff estimated about 15,000 to 20,000 people come to independence day celebrations in the city.
“It kind of seems like drones are where it's going, what we're seeing in other places,” Councilmember Jan Harnik said. “There's a side of me that would love to see the drone show, but with the cost and all the cautions, it just seems prudent for us to put that off,” adding that the city could reconsider a drone show for a celebration during a cooler time of year.