For the first time, a drone show will be part of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor fireworks celebration on the Fourth of July.
“Just announced! Celebrate Fourth of July at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor,” the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts said in its latest “Art Around Town” email message.
The event will begin with a “celebration kick off” at 6 p.m. around the Inner Harbor shoreline, with live music and other festivities, followed by the “Drone and Fireworks Show” starting at 9:30 p.m.
This is the second time the city has featured a drone show as part of its Inner Harbor fireworks celebrations. The first time was on January 1, 2024, when BOPA produced a combination drone and fireworks show.
A drone show is an aerial display that uses an array of synchronized drones, each fitted with LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights, to create patterns, shapes and animations in the air. The lights can spell out words or create images that tell a story.
As the technology has emerged, more and more cities have begun putting on drone shows as a new form of entertainment during civic gatherings. Drone shows are also considered more environmentally-friendly and pet-friendly than light shows involving pyrotechnics.
The idea for a drone show at the Inner Harbor came from former BOPA interim director Todd Yuhanick and Mayor Brandon Scott, after the University of Maryland Medical Center produced a drone show in Midtown during the opening night of Artscape 2023. Artscape’s drone show was organized by Brooke Hall and Justin Allen of What Works Studio.
Besides BOPA and the Mayor’s Office, supporters of the July 4 celebration include: the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore; the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; the Pier Six Pavilion; Live Nation; Visit Baltimore; the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore; Image Engineering; PNC and Vane Brothers.
This will be the first July 4 celebration since Rachel Graham became BOPA’s CEO in March. Other new BOPA staffers, or veterans in new roles, include: Daniella Greeman, BOPA’s Director of Strategy, Partnerships & Initiatives; Twi McCallum, Community Engagement Manager; Caprece Ann Jackson, a member of BOPA’s Fashion Department; Jonathan Gilmore, Chief of Staff; Tia Goodson, Director of Marketing & Communications, and Stuart Ruston, Multimedia Manager.
