Fireworks have long been an important part of throwing a global celebration, and in the United States, they’ve been a part of Independence Day since the beginning. But they have drawbacks such as noise, wildfire risks, smoke and injuries. utilities, electric aviation is increasingly stepping up to replace fireworks by putting on light shows without a bang.
Before we get to the 2022 numbers, let’s take a look at why fireworks are so popular in the United States for Independence Day.
some history
Fireworks originated in China, going back more than 1000 years. At first, burning bamboo caused popping sounds, but later gunpowder and other elements led to bigger bangs, aerial displays, and even colors by adding different metals to the powder mixture. It’s an ancient technology that eventually made its way around the world for celebrations in much the same way as gunpowder and cannons.
It may seem a little odd today that Americans would use a Chinese invention to celebrate the Fourth of July (especially with the nationalism many associate with the holiday). But it wasn’t always like that. Historically, people like George Washington wanted… “peace, trade and fair friendship with all nations – entanglement of alliances with none.” This wasn’t a universal vision, of course, but it’s very different from the chaotic stuff we often see today in the flag that would do anything to avoid anything that wasn’t ‘Murican’ enough.
So it made sense to buy fireworks from abroad and use them to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1777. The tradition took off even harder after the War of 1812, with live cannon shots and celebratory gunshots becoming much less common as people figured out that wasn’t a great idea (because what goes up has to come down).
Traditions such as singing The Star Spangled Banner, with its lyrics describing “the red glow of the rockets, the bombs bursting in the sky” during a battle in 1814, only reinforced the use of fireworks in American Independence Day celebrations.
Tradition does not solve all problems
These days, setting up a fireworks display is an increasingly difficult thing to do. A major impediment to maintaining this tradition is the drought facing Western states. For example, a Colorado county accidentally started three grass fires during a holiday celebration last year, so they had to look for alternatives for the summer of 2022, when it will be warmer and drier than in December.
Elsewhere in Colorado, there were even greater concerns. Rare winter wildfires last year resulted in a number of cities not even wanting to try fireworks this year. The Parker, Colorado city government said they appreciate the tradition of fireworks, but felt the need to give a drone a year-long trial to see if it both worked for the celebration and kept fire risk low.
In addition to the new and unusual threats that make fireworks not the best choice, there are things that annoy some people year after year. The noise scares animals, especially pets, so there is both an environmental problem and a problem for people whose pets panic. The risk of injury is always high every year. There is also the problem of smoke and other emissions from the fireworks which is clearly visible every time. It’s relatively small, but when done in enough places, it adds up.
Advantages and disadvantages of drone displays that replace fireworks
The biggest drawback of displaying drones is the price tag. You can’t just buy a few dozen consumer-grade drones and fly them around, and like fireworks, you must have experience, training, a drone license, and an FAA waiver to fly multiple drones with just one pilot. All of this means that these shows usually start at around $25,000, with costs rising quickly for more complex displays. Compared to the $2,000 you’d spend on a standard firecracker, that’s quite an expense.
The other problem is availability. According to the axios article I linked to, you are in a tough time getting booked for a drone display. Many municipalities simply couldn’t get a drone show at any cost.
“We’ve answered hundreds of requests that unfortunately we’re unable to accept,” said Graham Hill, founder and CEO of Hireuavpro.com told axios. Demand is “exponentially higher than last year,” he told axios. “As we follow the evolution of this, I don’t think most communities knew last year that this was a viable option. ”
On the plus side, drone displays are much more customizable. Fireworks have been able to create simple shapes like hearts, stars or smiley faces for a while, but drones can paint just about anything you want in the sky with their multicolored lights. You can create a drone show that looks like a traditional fireworks display, but you can also do things like American flags, the freedom bell, and even eagle animations. So they are not only a great alternative to fireworks, but can do even more to entertain the public.
On the Fourth and other holidays, drone shows allow for a lot of other things. If you can imagine it, the drone shows can probably animate it. Everything from Tetris and Mario Brothers to local characters and historical figures can all make it into the show to make it fit the occasion and location.
Still a long way to go
axios interviewed people in both the drone display industry and the fireworks industry, and it’s clear that while records are being set, drone displays are only shown for a small fraction of the number of people who watch fireworks shows.
The fireworks industry thinks one big thing will keep drones from taking over: the multisensory experience. Many people watch fireworks shows because they love the lights, the sounds, the bang that makes you shake, and even the smell of burning powder that permeates the air. That’s also what makes fireworks problematic in some cases, but they’re still loved.
However, the lack of things that make some people angry (boom, scared pets, smoke, etc.) coupled with the increased visual flexibility makes for a competitive presence in the industry that will likely continue to take a lot of market share from fireworks displays.
Featured image by Jennifer Sensiba.
Do you appreciate the originality of CleanTechnica and the coverage of cleantech? Consider becoming one CleanTechnica member, supporter, technician or ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
