OGDEN, Utah — A beloved Ogden tradition will look a little different this year at Weber State University. Instead of the annual fireworks show, the event will feature a drone show to help reduce the chance of starting a fire with dry conditions this year.
"The fireworks show has been around for decades,” said Kelsey Call, event manager at Weber State. “We're 47 years’ worth of this tradition, but that tradition also includes respecting the community, and so as a community member, we wanted to make sure everybody felt safe all summer long."
This Sunday, the Lindquist Family Symphony Pops Concert at Weber State University will feature a light show with 500 drones in the sky.
"We wanted to take proactive efforts in making sure we prevented any additional fires from starting,” Call said.
She said the event is an important tradition for so many families in Ogden.
"We have 16 cannons that will play with the New American Philharmonic Orchestra,” Call described. “Live cannons go off, and then our drone show goes into the air. It's really exciting — the reflection on the water is incredible, the energy with all the families around with their blankets, their kids, their games — it’s exciting. It’s a fun event to be at."
Drone show companies said they have seen many people inquiring about making the switch.
"We knew this July 4th was going to be even crazier because of the 250th anniversary, and so we had requests just flooding in already,” said Jacob Howard, CEO of Springville-based drone show company Illuminate Drones. “And then when the bans hit, in many different areas, so we got just, I mean, probably 10x the number of calls that we would get every day.”
Howard said he loves the storytelling side to drone shows by pre-programming details into each drone and throwing them into the sky to put on a show.
"We all love a good fireworks show, but a drone show has a lot more customization that you can do with it, as well as obviously doesn't pollute the air and very, very quiet,” Howard said.
Howard said the company has been swamped with shows across the country and is one of the few companies across the world that also puts on indoor drone shows.
Call hopes people still come to the concert and continue the tradition of watching song and light dance on the water and in the sky.
"I think this is an event that’s going to be just as exciting. With 500 drones, it's going to light up the sky. You will be able to see this from almost a half mile away,” she said.
