2025 drone events: the top drone conferences, expos, races and meetups

As the drone industry continues to evolve, 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year packed with must-attend events for drone enthusiasts, professionals, and innovators. Whether you’re looking to network with industry leaders, discover the latest technology or simply bask in a breathtaking drone show, these events are worth adding to your calendar.

Since many of the 2025 drone events haven’t yet locked in their dates, we’ll continuously update this list as we get official dates, locations and times. Bookmark this page for ongoing updates of more 2025 drone events to come.

CES 2025 (Consumer Electronics Show)

Date: January 7-10, 2025
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Why Attend: CES is a global stage for innovation, and drones always take the spotlight. Expect groundbreaking announcements from major brands like DJI, Autel Robotics, and Skydio, alongside startups unveiling game-changing technology. Live demos and hands-on experiences make this a must-attend event.

And yes, I’ll be there myself! I had a blast attending CES 2023, which I primarily went as part of the 2023 Emerging Aviation Technologies Thought Leaders’ Summit where I was inducted with an inaugural spot in the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Hall of Fame. I missed being at CES 2024 in-person, but I’m ready for more this year!

Website: ces.tech

DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational

Date: Feb. 1, 2025
Location: Miami, Florida
Why Attend: The DRL U.S. Air Force Miami Invitational is a massive drone race held at LoanDepot Park, which is most famously known as the home of the Miami Marlins.

Tickets are on sale now, coming in at $25 per adult. Discounted tickets are available to children and seniors. And if you buy for a group of adults (that’s five or more), you can get tickets for just $20 each.

Palm Springs Drone Fest

Date: March 21-23, 2025
Location: Palm Springs High School
Why Attend: Consider this the biggest and best drone meetup you could possible attend. Pretty much every facet of what makes drones fun will be on display.

Expect drone soccer demonstrations (including the Drone Soccer World Cup Qualifier competitions). There will be FPV drone races for fans of the high-octane aspect of drones. And for fans of the artistic side of drones, there’s a drone film festival. And for those on the enteprise side — including folks looking to launch their own drone small business, there’s a trade show and hands-on workshops.

The part I’m looking forward to most? A drone light show over Palm Springs.

It’s set to be an epic, family friendly event, including live music, food trucks. All that — and for a great deal too. One day passes cost $30 plus fees, and the student pass is just $25.

Get even more details in my guide to Palm Springs Drone Fest. And learn more about the Palm Springs Drone Fest hotel here.

Website: psdronefest.com

ISC West 2025

Date: March 31 through April 4, 2025
Location: Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why Attend: ISC West is the leading security trade event in the U.S. What does that have to do with drones? Many drone uses have to do with securing airspace, and many tools monitor the airspace in secure spaces. They go hand-in-hand.

Expect to see drone companies demonstrating products there, such as MatrixSpace, which will use the conference to demonstrate MatrixSpace Radar. MatrixSpace Radar is a compact, portable radar used to monitor airspace and enable BVLOS drone operations.

Website: DiscoverISC.com

2025 NAB

Date: April 6-9, 2025
Location: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Why Attend: NAB Show is a massive trade show for media, entertainment, and technology professionals. Many drone makers show up every year, and DJI is among the biggest names.

This year, DJI’s booth booth will allow guests to try the recently-launched RS 4 Mini compact gimbal (designed for cameras and smartphones with intelligent subject tracking), the DJI SDR Transmission (especially appealing to filmmakers on small- and medium-sized productions looking for a reliable and accessible video transmission system) and other Ronin products including the Ronin 4D, Ronin 2, RS 4 Pro, RS 4, DJI Transmission and DJI Focus Pro. 

NAB attendees will be among the first to be able to experience the Osmo Mobile 7P and Osmo Mobile 7. DJI will also use NAB to display its Osmo Pocket 3, Osmo Action 5 Pro, DJI Mic Mini and DJI Mic 2. You can find DJI at North Hall, Booth Number N1959.

Website: Nabshow.com

COBRA-CON 2025

Date: April 10-12, 2025

Location: Muncie, Indiana
Why Attend: Cobra-Con is an annual conference and show for pyrotechnic professionals and enthusiasts. So why is this on a drone events page? For the drone light show component, of course.

UVify will be one of the key drone exhibitors at Cobra-Con 2025. UVify COO Robert Cheek will speak and show off UVify’s heavy-lift pyro drone, which is called the Vulcan. Plus, UVify will put on a drone show using its pyro drones.

Want to buy your own UVify light show drone? Mention UVify promo code DGIFO to your UVify sales representatve to receive a 5% discount plus an additional free battery and set of high-performance props per IFO.

Website: Cobra-Con.com

Mikkeli International Drone Seminar

Date: April 23, 2025
Location: Mikkelin Mikaeli, Finland
Why Attend: Drone pilots in Finland might head to Drone Seminar, which will feature experts in areas like emergency services and police.

Website: droneseminar.org

Drone Safety Day 2025

Date: April 26, 2025
Location: Across the U.S.
Why Attend: Drone Safety Day 2025 is this year’s edition of the FAA’s biggest, annual campaign dedicated to promoting safe drone operations — but don’t let the bureaucratic host fool you. It’s far from boring. Think of it more as a community-powered celebration of all things drones.

Whether you’re into rule-following (hey, Remote ID is real), mentoring new pilots, or just looking for an excuse to get outside and fly, this is your moment. Events range from casual fly-ins and STEM demos to college-hosted trainings and virtual webinars. Visit the official events page to find an IRL event near you.

Website: FAA.gov

AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2025

Date: May 19-22, 2025
Location: George Bush Convention Center in Houston, Texas
Why Attend: The world’s largest event for autonomous and unmanned systems, AUVSI XPONENTIAL is perfect for professionals seeking insights into the latest drone applications. Expect exhibits, keynote speeches, and discussions on emerging regulations and trends.

Website: xponential.org

Law-Tech Connect at XPONENTIAL 2025

Date: May 19, 2025
Location: George Bush Convention Center in Houston, Texas
Why Attend: Besides the main XPONENTIAL event, there are a few co-located events, meaning you can make one trip and double-dip on the learning and networking.

One of the top co-located events is the one-day Law-Tech Connect Workshop, which typically devolves into a standing room-only crowd of people seeking the latest updates on global drone regulations and advanced air mobility, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and UTM, threat lessons from current conflicts and more.

Website: xponential.org

BILD Expo 2025

Date: June 17-18, 2025
Location: Javits Center in New York City
Why Attend: BILD Expo 2025 is a free photo conference targeting all sorts of photography, but content creators and drone photographers are no exception. New York retail giant B&H Photo puts on the event. Learn more about BILD Expo 2025.

Website: Bild Expo 2025

International Drone Show

Date: June 18-19, 2025
Location: Odense, Denmark
Why Attend: This is one of the top-tier, professional drone events held in Europe. It’s hosted by Odense Robotics and the UAS Denmark International Test Center, which is the site of key testing facilities and BVLOS flights. It draws more than 500 people each year, which is a manageable size contained to serious drone users.

Website: International Drone Show

The World Games

Date: August 7-17, 2025
Location: Chengdu, China
Why Attend: The World Games, organized by the International World Games Association (IWGA), is the second largest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games. But unlike the Olympics, this massive sporting event includes drone racing.

The Drone Racing event will happen in a stadium at Dong’an Lake Sports Park, located in Chengdu’s Longquanyi District. Held as a mixed gender event, it’ll feature 32 racers who battle in an elimination round style competition.

Website: fai.org

ElevateUAV 2025

Date: October 21–22, 2025
Location: FIU Kovens Conference Center, Miami, Florida
Why Attend: Hosted by Drone Nerds, one of the largest and most trusted drone distributors in North America (and one of the best drone repair providers), ElevateUAV is going to be a major drone event in Miami.

This two-day event is designed for drone professionals, business leaders and UAV enthusiasts looking to scale operations and stay on the cutting edge of drone technology. ElevateUAV brings together top drone manufacturers, regulatory experts and end-users across industries to explore how UAVs are transforming everything from agriculture to public safety and enterprise logistics.

Attendees will benefit from expert-led sessions, hands-on demonstrations from seasoned pilots, and high-impact networking opportunities with peers and thought leaders from around the globe. Whether you’re looking to deepen your technical knowledge, explore the latest in drone innovation, or forge new business connections, ElevateUAV offers professional growth and real-world applications.

Website: elevateuavsummit.com

Aerial Cities 2025

Date: November 11-12, 2025
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Why Attend: After spending the past years in Bern and then London, the Aerial cities conference is headed to Dublin, Ireland in 2025. This is an invitation-only event, and it will be held inside the iconic Dublin City Hall. The event will focus on financial sustainability, emerging business models, and regulatory frameworks required to integrate drones and electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft into urban environments.

Website: Aerial Cities by Drone Talks

What 2025 drone events are you looking forward to? Tell us where you’re headed (or hoping to head) in the comments below!