Record-breaking drone spectacle lights up Shenzhen for China anniversary
The 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, celebrated in the last days of September 2024, was marked by a spectacular show over the city of Shenzhen. Over 10,000 drones appeared in the sky, with which the Chinese broke two world records.
10:02 AM EDT, October 1, 2024
To commemorate the anniversary, precisely 10,197 unmanned aerial vehicles appeared over the city of Shenzhen, which has a population of over 12 million. This broke a record set just a few weeks earlier, on September 3, 2024, also in China. On that earlier occasion, marking the 72nd anniversary of the creation of the Korean autonomous prefecture Yanbian, "only" 7,598 drones were used.
Record-breaking drone show in Shenzhen
The show in Shenzhen set the world record for the largest number of drones simultaneously in the air (using one computer). The drones set a second-world record for the largest number of drones creating an aerial image.
Numerous recordings of the show quickly spread on social media. On platform X, for example, one can watch as thousands of drones lit up the sky over Shenzhen, arranging themselves into various patterns, including scenes inspired by martial arts.
How was such a complex show carried out? It used small sports drones integrated with multicolored LED lighting. Thanks to this—just like large television screens or small smartphones—the drones arranged the image "pixel by pixel." The drones were controlled by one computer, supported by artificial intelligence that ensured each flying object was in the right place at the right time.
