Another new year has dawned. Though the ushering in of 2022 was grander than the previous year, many celebrations were still somewhat subdued in light of COVID19 resurgences. Still, around the world people celebrated New Year’s Eve, hopeful of a better year to come. Keeping up with the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas”, the city of Dallas planned a remarkable fireworks and drone show to take place from Reunion Tower.

Standing at 561ft tall, Reunion Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Dallas. At the top of the observation tower is a globe, part of which is open-air. All 260 intersecting struts of the globe are covered in aluminum circles with custom LED’s. The LED’s are programmed to display different images and patterns throughout the year, making the Dallas nighttime skyline one to remember. In past NYE celebrations, watching the combined effects of the tower’s LED’s and a firework display have become known for being over the top amazing. But as Dusti Groskretutz, President of Reunion Tower, said, “Even if we couldn’t make it anymore over the top we did this year and we’re adding 225 drones.”

Orchestrating the drone segment of the display was Sky Elements based out of Fort Worth. As explained in the company mission statement, “At Sky Elements, our mission is to deliver captivating drone light shows that immerse audiences and skyrocket brand awareness. Every step of the way, we put accuracy, execution, and compliance first.” It is that last keyword compliance, that changed the course of Dallas’ 2022 NYE drone experience. The plan was to have the drones perform in tandem with the fireworks and tower’s LED displays, a first for any Dallas aerial performances. However, technical difficulties would have led to the show not being compliant. So, Sky Elements, always putting safety first, simply did the drone show after more than 5,000 fireworks lit up the sky.

The end result, though not what had been the original vision, gave viewers an even greater show. The evening started with music from American Idol season 10 winner Scotty McCreery, one of the biggest names in Country music. Then the fireworks began. Unlike most firework shows, which are viewed from one angle, Reunion Tower’s open-air globe provides a unique display advantage. The fireworks are arranged around the globe and the base of the tower giving audiences throughout Dallas a 360° display. The heart pounding firework show, complemented by the tower’s LEDs, lasted for nearly 10 minutes.

Those watching the “Lone Star NYE 2022” show in person, or on TV throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri were in for an extended show. When the smoke from the fireworks cleared, it was time for Sky Elements to do their thing. With the globe’s LED’s still going strong, the drones began to animate images representative of NYE, the world, the US, unity, and hope. Leading up to the celebration, Dusti had said that “We want people to feel good and celebrate the past as much as they can, but really look forward to something new and optimistic in the future.” The “Lone Star NYE 2022” show was a bright and positive way of entering a new and promising year.

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