It's the sort of over-the-top gender reveal you expect from a high-profile celebrity couple. But if Pixel Swarm Drones owner Carlos "El PaDróne" Peña has his way, drone show gender reveals will become common with the general public.
For that to happen, Peña knows much of the public needs to become more familiar with the drone show concept, which involves lit-up drones flying in synchronization to create images or words in the sky. That's why his new Miami-based business is putting on a free showcase featuring 200 drones and three shows at Maurice A. Ferré Park on Saturday, March 9.
First, there will be a gender reveal for Peña's sister, who is expecting in May; a birthday tribute to his dad, who recently turned 87; and an homage to Miami and its diversity. Expect drone displays in the shape of international flags during the third show. (Peña wouldn't specify how much the average drone show costs, but it's obviously not cheap. The consensus puts the price starting at $15,000 to $25,000.)
The bilingual, two-hour event in downtown Miami will bring together many of Peña's family members and friends, but unlike the Williams-Ohanian gender reveal, this celebration is open to the public.
"The purpose is to introduce ourselves to the city and let everyone know there's now a local drone company in town," says Peña, who became enamored with drone light shows after seeing an Earth-shaped drone display at the opening ceremony for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
"This is a showcase of our services and the types of shows we can do, and it's an event for the community to enjoy. The majority of people don't know what a drone show is," Peña adds.
Drone shows could eventually replace traditional fireworks shows.
Photo by @miamifpvdronepilot
"The analogy I like to use is that it's like a Pixar movie," Peña says. "You come up with a story that you want to display. The animation team creates a simulation of the whole show that is loaded into a drone show software. And then, during the actual show, everything is executed by a single computer console. But there's an entire team setting up the drones at a specific distance from each other. The flight time might be a few minutes, but it takes several weeks to prepare."
Each of the three shows at Maurice A. Ferré Park will last around nine minutes and will be staged about an hour apart. The time between each show allows the Pixel Swarm staff to recharge the drones' batteries.
Peña looks forward to the day when batteries allow for longer shows and the drones become more precise and capable of flying closer and faster together. (Drones are currently flown at a safe distance from each other to avoid collisions.) You might also see drone shows eventually replace fireworks shows.
The swap has already started happening in South Florida. Coconut Grove's Fourth of July celebration moved toward a more environmentally friendly drone show in 2022, and a handful of other local Fourth of July festivities have incorporated drones into their traditional fireworks shows.
"With drones, you don't have the pollution and smoke associated with fireworks. Plus, drones are very quiet. People and animals that are traumatized by loud noises are able to enjoy the show," Peña explains. "Fireworks are beautiful, but they can be repetitive. You can have different colors and sizes, but it's the same show, more or less. With drones, you're able to tell a story in the sky."
Drone Light Show. 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Maurice A. Ferré Park,1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 786-576-1756; pixelswarmdrones.com. Admission is free.
