Thunder Bay plans summer drone light shows

People in Thunder Bay will have a new show to look forward to at the Live on the Waterfront festival this year: drone light shows.

The Thunder Bay Airport Authority announced Monday that it's partnering with the City of Thunder Bay to put on drone light shows during the summer send-off events at Marina Park on August 27 and 28.

Over 400 drones with synchronized music and lights will come together to create moving images in the sky, said Karen Kadolph, the City's special events developer.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity for the entire community. This is something that has never happened in Northwestern Ontario. So this is something that's really unique, really different," she said.

While there are a lot of logistics involved in getting the show off the ground, Kadolph said she thinks it'll be worth the effort. 

While the City has previously done summer fireworks shows, Kadolph said there wasn't enough room in the budget for fireworks last year. When the airport came forward to offer financial support for the drone show, Kadolph said the City jumped on the opportunity. 

"The really big difference is there's a bit more of a storytelling component instead of fireworks. So with the drones, you get to curate the images, how they move through the sky, what comes next. There can be music to them, there can be narration. So it's a very different show," said Kadolph.

The show is the airport's way of giving back to the community and being a "good corporate citizen," said Thunder Bay International Airport Authority President and CEO Graham Ingham.

"We want to do unique things people are interested in. There's always fireworks, but fireworks are fireworks. And, you know, they're a bit of old and tired these days." said Ingham. 

Ingham said they chose drones specifically because they're aviation-related and because it's something that hasn't been done locally yet.

"We thought, hey, what a great opportunity to do something a little different, little innovative for Thunder Bay," said Ingham. 

Ingham said the airport is working with a company called Drone Show Canada to plan the event. 

"They're 100% Canadian and they've got quite a bit of experience. They've done a number of shows in a number of different provinces and cities, large and small, and the feedback is really, really positive."

The drone light shows will take place August 27 and 28 at Marina Park in Thunder Bay. There will be different shows both nights. It is free to attend.