How to Book a Drone Show: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re wondering how to book a custom drone show, the two questions that usually come first are how the process actually works, and what it involves from your side. This guide walks through the whole process, along with the practical details you’ll need to plan around: cost, drone numbers, weather, venue and permissions.
What happens when you book a drone show
This is how the process usually runs from first enquiry to the night of the show. Most shows take 8 to 10 weeks, though shorter timescales are sometimes possible depending on the project, location and approvals needed.
1
Consultation
Get in touch and we’ll arrange a call to talk through your event and what you want the show to achieve.
2
Proposal
Once we understand what you’re after, we’ll put together a proposal covering the concept and the cost.
3
Site survey
We check the site is suitable and safe, sometimes building a 3D map of the area to plan around.
4
Animation & Soundtrack Meetings
We scope out the creative direction together, then come back with sample animation and a storyboard.
5
Soundtrack & Storyboard sign-off
You approve the storyboard against the finished soundtrack. This locks in the show’s design, order and flow, and our team starts animating and syncing the visuals to the music.
6
Animation Presentation
You see the full show in 3D, as your audience will see it, with a chance to request changes to lighting or shapes.
7
Animation Approval
The last digital step before we test-fly the show for real.
8
Test Flights
We usually test off-site in a remote location, so safety and quality are checked before anyone sees the finished show.
9
Show Night
The music starts, the drones take off, and the show comes together in front of your audience.
If your event is on a tighter deadline, tell us early. Shorter timescales are sometimes possible, but they reduce the room for revisions at the storyboard and animation stages.
How many drones do you need?
So, how many drones do you actually need? It depends on what you want to create. A simple logo needs far fewer drones than detailed artwork or readable text. Have a play with our tool below and see what happens as you add more drones to the sky.
There’s no fixed rule for matching drone count to event size. A small, intimate event can still make a strong impression with a few hundred drones if the design is right, while a stadium or festival show may need several times that to stay visible and legible across the crowd. We work through this with you during the consultation and proposal stages, rather than asking you to guess upfront.
Where can you have a drone show?
Drone shows can be held almost anywhere with enough clear space and the right safety clearances: open fields, stadiums, festival sites, and urban venues have all worked for past shows. Indoor shows are also possible, using drones designed for confined, GPS-free spaces rather than outdoor navigation.
The main requirement is a site that meets safety and operational standards, which is what the site survey (step 3 above) is for. If you’re not sure whether your venue works, we offer free site assessments before you commit to anything.
What does a drone show cost?
The cost of a drone show is driven mainly by the number of drones in the sky, the type of show you choose and, for multi-night events, how many times it is flown.
- Bespoke outdoor drone shows start at £29,500, with the show created specifically for your event.
- Wedding drone shows start at £6,500, using our specially designed wedding show packages.
- Other stock drone shows, including Christmas and celebration shows, start at £12,500.
- Indoor drone shows start at £7,500.
For larger shows, additional drones can be added to create more detailed imagery, bigger formations and more ambitious animation. We’ll recommend the right scale for your event rather than simply the largest number of drones possible.
Will weather stop the show?
Our drones are built for UK conditions and can fly in winds of up to 45km/h, as well as in the rain. We deliberately chose an aircraft capable of operating in challenging weather, giving us a much wider operating window than many people expect from a drone show.
Contingency days are built into the planning process for outdoor shows, and we’ll talk through weather options with you as part of the proposal so there’s a clear plan if conditions turn on the night.
You can read more about how wind, rain and other weather conditions affect a drone show in our Drone Shows and Weather guide.
Is your venue suitable for a drone show?
Some venues have general restrictions on drones, and events near airports or other controlled airspace need extra coordination. Neither of these rules out a drone show, but both need to be planned for.
For restricted venues, we work directly with the site to explain our safety protocols and operating history. This has allowed us to run shows at locations with existing drone restrictions, including English Heritage sites, where permissions can be difficult to secure.
Airports and other controlled airspace follow a similar approach. We handle the notifications directly and stay in contact with Air Traffic Control where required, and you can read more detail in our guide to flying drone shows near an airport.
All of our flights operate under the permissions and safety framework set out by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and we manage the required paperwork and notifications as part of the planning process, so this isn’t something you need to arrange yourself.
Can your show include logos, words, lasers or fireworks?
Words and logos are common in our shows. The main consideration is detail: more intricate shapes and smaller text need more drones to stay legible, which is something we’ll advise on during the consultation phase.
Drone shows can also run alongside fireworks, lasers, stage lighting, sound and video. We use timecode to keep every element, drones included, in sync with the rest of the production.
Indoor Drone Shows
Indoor drone shows use specially designed drones that navigate using onboard sensors and optical systems instead of GPS, since GPS signal isn’t reliable indoors. They’re lightweight and manoeuvrable enough to operate safely in confined spaces such as arenas, theatres and exhibition halls, where weather isn’t a factor at all.
The process follows the same steps as an outdoor show, with the site survey focused on ceiling height, layout and clearances rather than airspace and weather.
Ready to plan your show?
If you have a rough idea of your event but aren’t sure yet what’s realistic for your budget or venue, that’s exactly what the consultation stage is for. Take a look at some of the previous drone shows we have created. Get in touch and we’ll talk through what’s possible.