As huge fans, we knew we had to go big with this Star Wars drone show.
OAKLAND, CA – Sky Elements lit up Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum after the Oakland A’s Saturday night game against The Orioles. Fans flooded the field and were treated to a 500-drone light show for The Athletics’ Star Wars-themed night. This Star Wars drone show recreated scenes that fans from all walks of life could enjoy! As major Star Wars fans, Preston (also known as @thatdroneshowguy) and Brian of Sky Elements knew they had to do something special for this one. In collaboration with the A’s, Sky Elements set out to create the show that would be the ultimate Star Wars drone show experience.
The Sky Elements team was thrilled to return for their fifth drone show with The A’s. The team created a show that Star Wars fans of all ages could enjoy, with scenes from the original trilogy, through to The Mandalorian. The classic Star Wars opening credit crawl crept up from behind the stands, setting the stage for a show to remember. Instantly, an AT-AT begins its assault on Hoth in a scene from Empire Strikes Back—nothing quite like 500 drones recreating one of the most menacing machines in pop culture history. As the gigantic AT-AT lurks towards the stadium, a snow speeder swoops in and tangles its legs with cable to bring it down. Fireworks exploded as the AT-AT made its crash landing, marking the first time the crowd saw pyrotechnics begin to complement the show.
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader clashed in an energetic display.
The music changes, and figures take shape. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are in their final duel in Return of the Jedi. The lightsabers ignite red and green as they battle each other. The formation transitions, and the show goes dark. Two beaming red eyes appear in the sky, and a red, double-sided lightsaber ignites. A 200-foot Darth Maul from Phantom Menace appeared and gazed down upon the A’s and Oriole’s fans. Duel of the Fates began to play, and the crowd erupted into cheers. The notable Naboo N-1 Starfighter Anakin Skywalker used was also a pleasant surprise from Episode 1.
The show continued with appearances from some of the latest installments in the franchise, such as BB-8 and Ahsoka Tano. A tie-fighter chased the Millennium Falcon, taking some potshots at it. However, the Falcon fired back, setting off a huge explosion that the pyrotechnics below expertly complemented. The final Star Wars image was the beloved fan favorite, Grogu (AKA Baby Yoda). The bounty hunter IG-11 was carrying Grogu while chanting “YES.” Sky Elements strived to captivate Star Wars enthusiasts and general audiences with the images they flew with The A’s. To conclude, the show created a massive drone QR code linked to a thank you from the A’s for attending. When scanned, the QR code linked to $5 tickets to the next Athletics game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Fans could scan the QR code with their phones and order tickets on their way out of the stadium!
A scannable drone QR code hovered at the end, linking to discounted Oakland A’s tickets
Sky Elements values the relationship that has developed with the Oakland A’s. In the past, the team flew two smaller Star Wars drone shows with 200 and 250 drones in the past. Sky Elements had since upped the drone count to 300 for the Pixar-themed drone show and 250 for the Nickelodeon-themed drone show. Increasing the drone count to 500 was the next step in wowing the audience below. With a higher drone count, the team was able to get much more detailed with effects and faces. Upping the drone count above 300 drones allowed the team to create the scannable drone QR code at the end. A year ago, 500 drone shows for Sky Elements were an extremely big deal.
With our strides in perfecting our animation, logistics, and drone count, this show was a cakewalk. We’re grateful to the Oakland A’s for having us back for a historic night, marking this drone show as the largest drone show ever… so far… Contact us today for your Oakland, California, drone light show.