Coachella drones take over the music festival with Intel’s newest light show
Coachella this year was about a whole lot more than just flower crowns, rainbow hair and crochet crop tops. The newest addition to Coachella was a whole lot less cliche — drones.
Intel sent 300 of its synchronized Shooting Star drones into the night sky between sets of indie pop band The xx and Radiohead. The drones flew again behind the main stage before Lady Gaga’s performance. (Lady Gaga is quite the drone queen, having also performed in the Super Bowl show that featured drones).
The drones took the shape of objects including a ferris wheel, rotating windmill and palm trees.
Coachella is the latest in an impressive line-up of high profile performances that Intel’s drones have taken part in. Inte’s drones have also flown over Sydney, Australia’s 2016 Vivid Lights and Ideas festival, Coca Cola Mexico’s Caravan of Lights, and a light show during the holidays at Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs shopping complex in Orlando, Florida.
Each drone is about the weight of a volleyball and can be programmed with relative easy to light up in any shape and in 4 billion color combinations for commercial entertainment light shows.
Intel’s drones are not publicly for sale, and the chip maker would not disclose how much they would cost or whether they are more cost effective than their nighttime light show counterpart, fireworks. However, rather than fading out like fireworks, they drones can flash on and off and also create much more precise shapes than fireworks would. They also reduce the environmental impact that fireworks have on air pollution.
Though, this isn’t the first time drones have made an appearance at Coachella. Kaskade had drones flying over its show in 2015, though their purpose was to shoot video — not serve as a light show.
And people seemed to love the fireworks-style drone show:
This drone light show was epic #coachella #drones @ Coachella, California https://t.co/m5g2o7pcxO
— Geoff Clark (@geoffclark) April 16, 2017
300 drones took to the sky Weekend 1.
Drones powered by @Intel, presented by @HP#hpcoachella #inteldrones pic.twitter.com/OP5TyXOVU5— Coachella (@coachella) April 17, 2017
Lady GaGa’s drones were incredible to see at Coachella – synced colors and movements – had to be 200 drones – 10 minutes of WOW! pic.twitter.com/f0ADUpiPbb
— Rich Hohman (@rbhohman) April 16, 2017
Calling it now. Synchronized robot drones are the new fireworks. #coachella ??♀️
— Leslie Kirchhoff (@lesliekirch) April 16, 2017
HOLD ON!!! Is Gaga using the drones again at Coachella?!?!
— Carrie Bradshaw (@ChrissiX) April 15, 2017
The drones are at #Gagachella I repeat the drones are at #Gagachella my body isn’t ready. #Coachella
— Lee LittleMonster ✌️ (@rawrlee) April 15, 2017