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A massive show of technological advancement has garnered two Guinness World Records after a successful display of lights in North Texas. The show, put on by the company Sky Elements, featured nearly 1,500 drones equipped with color changing LED lights, hovering in various formations to create 700-ft-tall images that told the story of “The Nutcracker.”
The drones were launched from Birdville FACC's football stadium, where a sold-out crowd gathered to watch from the parking lot. According to the Dallas observer, the light show was set to a soundtrack that could be heard by tuning in to a local radio station. Set to this music, the drones flew into different positions to make various holiday figures in the sky, including a Santa Claus, a nutcracker, a little girl with presents, and an enormous Christmas tree.
Sky Elements, which has previously set three Guinness World Records for massive drone light shows, was able to secure two more records from the Christmas show. The first, “Largest fictional character made with multi-rotors or drones,” came for the gigantic nutcracker image. Meanwhile, the Christmas tree won them the record for “Largest aerial image made with multi-rotors or drones.”
Both records were set using 1,499 drones, which suggests that Sky Elements could hold onto them for a long time, considering it is the largest animation studio for drone light shows in the world. Speaking to the Dallas Observer, Preston Ward, Sky Element's chief pilot, explained that they enjoy setting records, but they also like spreading joy with their shows:
“We do big holiday drone shows every year, but they’re always still special for us,” Ward says. “We’re international, but there’s something special about doing it in North Texas. [...] It’s a good time for our teams that’s coming into town for our holiday party to see a big show they’re all a part of, but also to bring some joy to the community and get some toys for these kids here at Christmas.”
As for spreading cheer, the event was doubly successful, because the light show was also a Christmas toy drive. The city of North Richland Hills was able to gather some 800 toy donations on the evening.
See more light shows from Sky Elements on their official YouTube channel.
