Sky-High Celebration: Flagstaff Trades Fireworks for Drones

Growing concerns about wildfire dangers and noise issues led to a switch to an aerial drone display. Flagstaff officials appear likely to continue with a drone show next Fourth of July, despite some traffic snarls.

“Overall, the community seemed pretty happy, and we’re always happy when we’re fire safe,” said Haley Reynolds, Flagstaff events and marketing manager.

“We met with a couple of our internal partners, and we have a large debrief scheduled in the next couple of weeks,” Reynolds said. “But it’s the general consensus it was a successful event. Now we just have to navigate forward.”

Flagstaff paid Open Sky $95,000 to stage the Fourth of July drone show. The 3-year-old company, based in Salt Lake City, has presented more than 500 shows, said Erik Merkow, Open Sky vice president of sales and marketing.

A drone show is environmentally friendly with no sparks or fire risks and it’s peaceful for dogs and other animals with no loud booms, he said.

Open Sky had 300 drones programmed for the Flagstaff show, flying up to 400 feet above the terrain. The drones were staged at Coconino High School, east of Buffalo Park.

The park, McMillan Mesa and the high school were popular spots to watch the drones, which launched just after 9 p.m.

“Traffic was significantly more than we had anticipated,” said Flagstaff Police Lt. Ryan Beckman. “We had to shut down Gemini Road on both sides. There was some frustration I think for folks who showed up after 8 o’clock.”

He suggested there would be modifications in handling traffic if the drone show is held again next year.

Drone show traffic congestion was not unlike fireworks shows at Continental Country Club in past years. It takes hours to clear traffic after the fireworks finale, Beckman said.

Overall, it was busy day for the Flagstaff Police Department with more than 60% of the officers on duty. But there was no violence, and no arrests at the Fourth of July events, he said. “Just a lot of patriotic folks enjoying themselves. It was a good day.”

The drone formations included a flagstaff, Old Glory, Arizona flag, map outlines of the state and of the United States. Also, there was an arrowhead, pine tree, horse and buggy, locomotive, classic car, Route 66 shield and Lowell Observatory. Watching the drones buzz into formation overhead is roughly akin to watching a marching band form an image.

“I thought it was really cool. It felt like the Fourth of July,” said Jamie Thousand, a Flagstaff Tourism Commission member and owner of Satchmo’s barbecue restaurant.

“I’m thumbs up to do it again next year,” he said. “What’s our alternative, nothing?”

Julie Pastrick, Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said she favors staging the drone show again next year. “We want to protect our forests, the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world.”

Flagstaff has a long history of Fourth of July celebrations, dating back to a group of Boston travelers who stripped a pine tree of its branches and hoisted an American flag to celebrate the U.S. centennial in 1876. That patriotic act gave Flagstaff its name.

In 1930, Flagstaff began hosting its annual All-Indian Pow Wow with a parade, dancing and rodeo. That colorful event, with Native Americans initially traveling in horse-drawn wagons, was held for a half century.

Flagstaff’s current Fourth of July celebration includes the Downtown Mile foot race, Chamber of Commerce-sponsored parade with antique cars, horses and bands. The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra also plays a pops concert of patriotic music at Fort Tuthill.

“The parade was a beautiful mix of elements,” Pastrick said. “There were ‘a-ha’ moments for everyone.”

This year’s celebration was “exceptional,” she said, because the Fourth of July was on a weekend, which meant the number of out-of-community spectators soared to as many as 15,000 people. “It didn’t hurt that we had incredible weather, 75 degrees.”   

Pastrick noted that Travel + Leisure magazine a decade ago named Flagstaff the nation’s best town in which to celebrate the Fourth of July.

And Flagstaff will have a lot to celebrate next Independence Day. July 4, 2026, is America’s Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s the 150th anniversary of the Boston Party flying Old Glory from an improvised flagstaff and the Route 66 centennial is in 2026. FBN

By Peter Corbett, FBN

Photo by Austin Corbet: Spectators watch the Fourth of July drone show from a parking lot at Flagstaff Medical Center.