During this week’s Fourth of July holiday, Los Angeles County wasn’t quite a house united — at least when it came to what should light up the night sky.
There were plenty of traditional fireworks shows, of course, with the kaleidoscopic explosions booming and sparkling everywhere from Long Beach to Hollywood, from Carson to Monrovia.
But several communities across LA County took a different tack. Instead of fireworks, they used an increasingly popular technology to light up the sky:
Drones.
In those communities, including downtown Los Angeles and Redondo Beach, revelers witnessed hundreds of synchronized drones render precisely drawn giant flags, 3-D stars and patriotic phrases — all with nothing more than a low buzz.
The drone shows were certainly entertaining, according to those who watched them. And they seem to be far more environmentally friendly than fireworks. But whether drones will overtake fireworks as the dominant method for large, official Independence Day celebrations remains uncertain — and perhaps even unlikely.
Just ask those at Sky Elements, a Texas company that specializes in drone shows. That company did about seven Fourth of July shows in California this year, said Kyle Pivnick, business development manager for Sky Elements. But there were 1,000 fireworks shows statewide.
“We don’t want to replace fireworks,” Pivnick said. “We love fireworks.”
But in a region that tries to protect its beloved coastlines while also being frequently beset by the twin threats of droughts and wildfires, love isn’t the only factor.
Choosing drones
Drones seemed a popular, if still relatively minor, option for Fourth of July entertainment this year.
The Los Angeles suburb of Lake View Terrace, for example, held its second annual drone show at Hansen Dam this week, a year aftering becoming the self-proclaimed first LA community to use the automated flyers for Fourth of July last year.
At Gloria Molina Grand Park, in downtown Los…
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