The thought of a warm July 1 celebration might be a welcome distraction from the chill in the air this fall. But the annual event is already on the agenda for many Canadian municipalities now debating a change from tradition to high technology. Drone shows have been lighting up the evening skies in recent years, as a silent and emission-free alternative to fireworks displays, which can be too loud for children and pets, while filling the air with smoke. A performance incorporates hundreds or even thousands of synchronized drones equipped with LED lights to create choreographed patterns, shapes, and animations in the sky. The City of Fredericton has been studying a possible switch to drones for its 2026 celebration.WATCH | ‘They do lack that impact,’ Fredericton official says:Fredericton debates switching to drones from fireworksMunicipalities across the country are experimenting with drone shows as a silent, emission-free alternative to fireworks, but a recent presentation to councillors in Fredericton raised concerns about weather issues, visibility and an underwhelming performance for Canada Day celebrations. But at a recent meeting of the city’s economic prosperity and growth planning committee, the tourism and events manager, Stacey Russell, said the shift comes with drawbacks. The current fireworks budget is $26,000, with $10,000 of that coming from Downtown Fredericton Inc., which would provide up to 200 drones, Russell said, not the 300 to 500 drones used in shows that people would be accustomed to seeing online. “With a show of 200 drones, the performance would be underwhelming,” she said. “It would have a significant lack of impact as well.”Russell said there is also a “very high likelihood” that the drones wouldn’t be able to take off at all, given they cannot operate in the rain, or in winds over 20km/hour over water, or 25km/hour over land.Stacey Russell, the tourism and events manager for the city, says drone shows can be affected by weather and have a smaller viewing radius than fireworks displays. (Submitted by City of Fredericton)The city’s fireworks displays draw thousands of people to the banks of the St. John River on both sides, while others view the show from even greater distances. But a synchronized aerial performance using drones would have a much smaller viewing radius, with a site line of 600 metres to one kilometer, Russell said. Russell’s report also took notice of a drone show in Victoria last summer that had to cancel because of high winds. Meanwhile, Kamloops, B.C., tested a drone show for its Canada Day celebrations in 2024, but switched back to fireworks this past July because of costs and community feedback. And a more extreme example out of southern China made headlines this month, when hundreds of fiery drones malfunctioned and started to rain down on the crowd below. All of these were factors in Russell’s recommendation to councillors. “Given the lack of impact of a 200 drone show and the risks involved, our recommendation as well as downtown Fredericton Inc. is to continue with fireworks for Canada Day 2026 and beyond,” she said. Council is expected to vote on the matter at the end of the month. Coun, Eric Megarity said he would like to stick with the fireworks for now. “You spend that amount of money and you can’t put it on … I think it will disappoint a lot of people,” he said. “But I wouldn’t close the door on it all the way. I would just keep [taking] the pulse and see how that technology develops.”Megarity said the technology will likely become more secure in the future, with better pricing too. A drone show lit up the evening sky in Miramichi last July for a Canada Day performance that included images of a maple leaf, a four leaf clover and a person fishing. (Submitted by City of Miramichi)But Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Pike said she has given it a lot of thought after conversations with dog owners and would like to see the city at least try the drones to see for themselves.“Rather than slam the door, I would prefer to try it once,” she said. “Maybe it is going to be underwhelming, but at least we can say we tried it for our residents who asked for it.”“It would be nice maybe to have fireworks New Brunswick Day and have a drone show on Canada Day and then we can make a decision going forward.”Drone shows gain popularity in N.B. Several New Brunswick municipalities have already experimented with drone shows in recent years.The Town of Woodstock is moving ahead with its second drone show for the Festival of Lights on Nov. 21, with a holiday-themed performance following a parade and tree-lighting ceremony. Tobi Pirie, director of tourism for the town, said they used to end the event with fireworks but decided to try drones last year. “It went over really well,” she said. “A lot of people enjoyed it.”The show cost $10,000, which included 75 drones. For this year, the town hopes sponsors can bump the number of drones up to 100, at an additional cost of $5,000.Miramichi held drone shows at the city’s airport for the solar eclipse in 2024 and Canada Day 2025. (Submitted by City of Miramichi)Fireworks are still used to mark the town’s Canada Day and Old Home Week celebrations. Pirie said no decisions have been made to change to drone shows for those events – yet.“We have talked about it with other events that go on in Woodstock,” she said, but “that sort of thing takes a lot of time.”In July, 125 drones performed over the Petit-Rocher wharf during the Blues d’la Baie Festival, at a cost of about $20,000. Mireille Roy, director of the festival, said it was a positive experience, with some praise for the more environmentally friendly approach. Roughly 5,000 people turned out for the event, which was a lot, considering the show had been postponed from the night before because of high winds.“We don’t expect any shows for 2026,” she said, “but definitely will do it again in the future.”Meanwhile, Miramichi has two drone shows under its belt, both held at the airport. The first drone performance was for the solar eclipse in 2024, followed by a Canada Day celebration this past July that incorporated both fireworks and drones.Paul McGraw, the city’s economic development officer, said an online survey revealed most people still wanted to have fireworks. So the city did both.Miramichi development officer Paul McGraw says the city has pulled off two successful drone shows, with no complaints about a ‘lacklustre’ performance. (Submitted by Paul McGraw)“We had a… roughly 20 minute drone show, then a fireworks display and then another 20 minute drone show,” he said. “And it was by all accounts, extraordinarily successful.”McGraw said the city went “over and above” with the Canada Day show, as Miramichi was also marking its 30th anniversary and the 200th commemoration of the great Miramichi fire, which were both reflected in elements in the drone show. The price tag was about $40,000, he said. The shows used 150 drones, and there were no complaints about a “lacklustre” performance, he said.McGraw said he has been fielding calls from other municipalities, and in other provinces too, about best practices. He said he’s happy to share what he’s learned and help others pull off a great show. As for next summer, he’s not sure yet what direction the city will go in. That’s a discussion for the new year, he said.
A Fredericton drone show could be ‘underwhelming,’ ‘lacklustre,’ councillors hear
