The Dubai story in 3D: How 500 drones transform into popular landmarks for stunning show

The Dubai story in 3D: How 500 drones transform into popular landmarks for stunning show

Here is what happens at the take-off and landing platform on Bluewaters Island as hundreds of aerial vehicles soar into the night sky

By Sahim Salim, Visuals by Rahul Gajjar Published: Thu 19 Jan 2023, 6:00 AM Last updated: Thu 19 Jan 2023, 6:32 AM

500 drones; 16 crew members; 2 daily shows; countless programming hours and priceless reactions. It’s all in a day’s work for the team that brings alive the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) Drones Show for 46 nights in a row.

Khaleej Times was given exclusive access to the purpose-built take-off and landing platform on Dubai’s Bluewaters Island, where we witnessed first-hand how the hundreds of drones take off to tell the Dubai story.

It was a windy day, but the pilots, with their fingers crossed, were confident that the aerial vehicles would take off.

An announcement on the PA system told people assembled in front of Ain Dubai — the world’s largest and tallest observation wheel — that the show would start within minutes.

A countdown ensued and the buzzing drones defied the winds and took off in droves to their positions at the flight space above the Bluewaters and The Beach, JBR. The show had begun:

Saying it with drones

It’s virtually impossible