Memorial Day weekend drone show coming to Jones Beach
A drone show will take over the skies on Memorial Day weekend at Jones Beach. Credit: Grizzly Entertainment
Memorial Day weekend will look a bit different this year at Jones Beach State Park.
A drone show is scheduled to take the place of the traditional FourLeaf Air Show, which is being moved to July 5-6 in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Instead of a daytime event, the show is scheduled to be held on the evening of May 24.
The 20-minute program will utilize 1,000 drones launched up to 400 feet in the air over the Atlantic Ocean starting at 9 p.m. These drones form familiar illustrations that get illuminated at night under a collective theme.
"We wanted to do something really special for Memorial Day weekend that the public would thoroughly enjoy," said George Gorman, Long Island regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "We heard about these drone shows and thought it would be a nice way to kick off the summer."
The drone show, which is presented by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the New York State Legislature and the NYS 250th Commemoration Commission, is being designed by Grizzly Entertainment. This is the same company that created Nassau County's 9/11 drone show last year in Bethpage honoring the fallen.
"This is a red, white and blue show celebrating USA's 250th anniversary," Grizzly CEO/owner Themis Violaris said.
Spectators can expect to see symbols recreated in the sky representing the country, such as an American eagle, an Uncle Sam hat and an American flag, using 3D imaging.
"Storyboards have been prepared in accordance with New York State Parks," said Violaris. "This is all being synchronized to patriotic music."
The best viewing of the drone show will be along the shoreline of the Jones Beach boardwalk with parking at Fields 4 and 5. People can bring their own chairs and blankets for seating. The Boardwalk Cafe and other concessions are set to remain open during the event. The festivities begin with live military entertainment at 6 p.m.
"Jones Beach can hold a very large amount of people," Gorman said. "We are hoping to see 50,000. However, we can go higher."
Backup parking will be at Fields 2, 3 and 6 in order to accommodate large crowds.
Although the Air Show is slated to return to its regular Memorial Day weekend slot next year, the question is, will the drone show become a new Long Island tradition?
"We are going to gauge the public's reaction to it. But, we think it will be a big hit," Gorman said. "We may have to consider having it on another weekend in the summer."
For more information, call 631-321-3510 or visit parks.ny.gov.
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
