Galveston to replace July 4 droning with booms and bangs

Aug 12, 2023

People watch the Fourth of July drone light show in Galveston on July 4, 2022. The show, which was supposed to start at 9 p.m., started an hour late.

GALVESTON

Announcing the return to a fireworks tradition the Park Board of Trustees abandoned last year, island officials said this year's Independence Day celebration won't drone on like the glitchy 2022 iteration.

Last year's celebration — during which drones, small pilotless aircraft, were supposed to create an impressive light show — was trouble-plagued and underwhelming, pushing some islanders toward open revolt.

This year's fireworks show will take place at 37th Street and Seawall Boulevard, where plans call for igniting $1,000 worth of explosives every minute for 25 minutes.

It will be the largest and most magnificent ever, Mayor Craig Brown said.

It should be free of the technical glitches that delayed last year's drone light show, which was billed as an environmentally friendly alternative to fireworks.

This year's Fourth of July celebration is set to begin at 6 p.m. with a parade and end with a fireworks show starting at 9:15 p.m. on the seawall.

"Everyone in the city, as well as the park board, were not completely satisfied with the drone show, and the community was hoping to have a more classic display for the Fourth of July," Brown said.

This year's iteration will be the first time in a while the park board isn't hosting the celebration, Brown said. That put city staff in a pinch to prepare, David Smith, executive director of events for the city, said.

"It's going to be longer than previous shows, which were only about 15 minutes long," Smith said.

City administrators soon will announce an app allowing fireworks gazers to listen to music paired with the show, Smith said.

The Fourth of July falls on a Tuesday this year, so the city doesn't expect the same crowds as a weekend might draw, Smith said. If rain or other bad weather makes the show impossible on Tuesday, officials will hold the celebration Saturday, July 9, Smith said.

City officials have met with police and firefighters to plan for an increased public safety presence for this year's celebration, Smith said.

"In the past, we had too many people beside the pier," Smith said.

Police will cordon off the area near the 37th Street pier to keep revelers at a safe distance, Smith said.

City officials had many discussions about how to make the celebration safer than last year, when packed crowds created traffic snarls along the seawall, Brown said.

The drone light show last year was delayed an hour by technical difficulties emanating from the seawall, according to Dallas-based Sky Elements, the drone operators. Company officials said magnetic interference from the seawall garbled the signals controlling the drones.

A second of two scheduled shows was canceled because the blades on some of the drones broke when they landed on rock groins where the show was staged.

The park board had voted to spend $90,000 on the drone show and other activities instead of fireworks.

Park board leaders were attempting to find an alternative that didn't present the same pollution concerns or cause noise that might terrify dogs and trouble people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Many factors led city officials to opt against repeating the drone show, Vince Lorefice, general manager of parks, said.

"A drone show is only two dimensional with a one-sided view," Lorefice said. "Fireworks are three-dimensional and can be viewed from miles at all angles.

"We heard that our constituents wanted traditional fireworks, so we are collaborating with the city on the Fourth of July fireworks show."

There were an estimated 100,000 people at the drone show last year, Lorefice said.

Independence Day fireworks is one of the more well-attended events by residents and tourists, and the number of visitors at the celebration has grown over the years, Brown said. And Brown is no stranger to the event, he said. His spot of choice is right in front of the action on 37th Street, he said.

"What's nice about the fireworks is you can see them from all over the island," Brown said. "If you’re sitting on the patio at the Galvez or in the West End, you can see it."

B. Scott McLendon: 409-683-5241; [email protected]

[thumbup]

Did I miss a story explaining how the city took this over from the Park Board? I hope the Park Board is helping to pay for the fireworks after the clusterdrone last year.

Yes. The Park Board is sharing the cost of the fireworks show with the city.

Ditch to Park Board along with their drones

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