6.A.
Open Space Commission
- Meeting Date:
- 06/23/2025
- Co-Submitter:
- Rebecca Sayers
- From:
- Robert Wallace, Open Space Supervisor
TITLE:
Update on July 4th Drone Show
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Information Item.
The Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Events (PROSE) Division will share with the Open Spaces Commission the upcoming 4th of July events planned for Flagstaff.
The Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Events (PROSE) Division will share with the Open Spaces Commission the upcoming 4th of July events planned for Flagstaff.
Executive Summary:
Each 4th of July holiday, the PROSE and EV divisions get together to help plan an event for the community for Independence Day. In the past, a fireworks show was offered during the festivities, but due to the increasing awareness of fire safety in our community, we have been steered away from them. Therefore, we have experienced offering other options, such as a laser light show, which has been well-received, and now we are moving onto a new option of a drone show.
So, what is a drone show? Drone shows are aerial displays that show brilliant LED lights that create different shapes, patterns, and scenes in the night sky. These shows can last for several minutes, the same amount of time as fireworks or even longer. Drone shows have become incredibly popular in cities like Salt Lake, Boulder and Lake Tahoe. The reason being, the impact that pyrotechnics can have on an environment is great and the worry of a forest fire starting is imminent.
Through the FY23-24 budget process, leadership identified a transfer of funds from Tourism to PROSE for a Fourth of July special drone show. Over the winter months, PROSE performed a formal procurement process through a Request for Proposals (RFP) with the result being an award to Open Sky Productions, LLC. PROSE brought forward an agenda item which was approved unanimously on March 18th, 2025. The selected vendor has extensive experience in producing drone shows of all sizes, including in Arizona; however, this will be the first drone show in the Flagstaff community.
The identified launch location is Coconino High School with the drone display hovering over the McMillan Mesa Natural Area, which creates a large viewing area for the community in general, plus amazing aspects for the Sunnyside Neighborhood. As previously discussed, the duration of the drone show will be 23-minutes in length with synchronized music that can be heard from a car radio, for example. The special event will be planned under a collaborative group that discusses, plans, and executes the larger events in the community from an Incident Action Plan (IAP) lens, bringing together many aspects that make up event production.
Discover Flagstaff will also be promoting the drone show along with other community events, like the 2025 Greater Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Parade and their Downtown Mile run, A Flag Fourth - Flagstaff Symphony free concert, and Art in the Park. Staff have media buys with the Arizona Daily Sun, KAFF radio, Flagstaff Business News, all social media platforms, and our e-newsletter Flagstaff Local - My Actions Matter. For visitors, we use a combination of owned, earned, and paid media to get the message out.
So, what is a drone show? Drone shows are aerial displays that show brilliant LED lights that create different shapes, patterns, and scenes in the night sky. These shows can last for several minutes, the same amount of time as fireworks or even longer. Drone shows have become incredibly popular in cities like Salt Lake, Boulder and Lake Tahoe. The reason being, the impact that pyrotechnics can have on an environment is great and the worry of a forest fire starting is imminent.
Through the FY23-24 budget process, leadership identified a transfer of funds from Tourism to PROSE for a Fourth of July special drone show. Over the winter months, PROSE performed a formal procurement process through a Request for Proposals (RFP) with the result being an award to Open Sky Productions, LLC. PROSE brought forward an agenda item which was approved unanimously on March 18th, 2025. The selected vendor has extensive experience in producing drone shows of all sizes, including in Arizona; however, this will be the first drone show in the Flagstaff community.
The identified launch location is Coconino High School with the drone display hovering over the McMillan Mesa Natural Area, which creates a large viewing area for the community in general, plus amazing aspects for the Sunnyside Neighborhood. As previously discussed, the duration of the drone show will be 23-minutes in length with synchronized music that can be heard from a car radio, for example. The special event will be planned under a collaborative group that discusses, plans, and executes the larger events in the community from an Incident Action Plan (IAP) lens, bringing together many aspects that make up event production.
Discover Flagstaff will also be promoting the drone show along with other community events, like the 2025 Greater Chamber of Commerce Independence Day Parade and their Downtown Mile run, A Flag Fourth - Flagstaff Symphony free concert, and Art in the Park. Staff have media buys with the Arizona Daily Sun, KAFF radio, Flagstaff Business News, all social media platforms, and our e-newsletter Flagstaff Local - My Actions Matter. For visitors, we use a combination of owned, earned, and paid media to get the message out.