Every year, technology is used in new and inventive ways, and drone holiday light shows seem to be making their way into some cities’ and towns’ holiday traditions.

In Grapevine, Texas, millions of lights, gigantic decorations, and animated holiday characters fill the town this holiday season. Grapevine has been officially trademarked as being the “Christmas Capital of Texas.” This year, Grapevine is trying out something new: two Christmas-themed drone light shows. With a fleet of more than 160 drones, the “Merry & Bright Christmas Drone Show” will take place on December 11 and December 18, operated by Sky Elements, a Texas-based drone show organizer.

This isn’t the first time Sky Elements has put on a holiday show in Texas. In October 2021, Sky Elements hosted a Halloween drone light show with 150 drones soaring above Dallas to create formations of pumpkins, ghosts, flying witches, spider webs, and tombstones. The Christmas drone light show will last only eight to nine minutes.

Towns such as Grapevine aren’t the only ones using this technology as entertainment. Walmart sent its Holiday Drone Light show across the country last holiday season, using over 1,000 Intel drones to create 3-D shapes and characters like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and synced its drones’ movement with holiday classics for the spectators below.

Perhaps other cities and towns (and companies) will continue to follow this trend. If they do,  be sure they are following the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules and regulations when it comes to safe and compliant operation of drones.