A Fourth of July show is returning to Goleta, but not in the way many people would expect.
Instead of fireworks, the city will embrace the holiday with a modern twist — a drone show.
The city is planning to host a drone show at Dos Pueblos High School, complete with food trucks, a dance floor and DJ Darla Bea.
Kelly Hoover, community relations manager for the City of Goleta, said they plan to have doors open at 6 p.m., with the drone show starting at 8:30 p.m. and lasting 14 to 17 minutes.
“It’s a choreographed show. It’ll be custom for our area. It’ll tell a story,” Hoover said. “It should be really enjoyable for our community to watch and feel very proud to be a part of.”
Goleta is joining several other cities across the country that are opting for a more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective celebration.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club of Goleta put on an annual free fireworks show at Girsh Park. The show never returned, largely because of the costs and effort to put it on.
While there is the Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration at Rancho La Patera and Stow House, residents have been vocal about missing the annual fireworks show.
“For years, we’ve heard the disappointment from our community members just expressing how much they missed having an event at night time for the Fourth of July,” Hoover said.
Now, thanks to a $25,000 donation from Yardi Systems, and contributions from other community partners, Goleta residents will be able to enjoy a drone-powered light show.
Hoover said the city also received financial support from Teledyne FLIR, Deckers, the Goleta Valley Historical Society, Community West Bank, MarBorg Industries and Santa Barbara Airbus.
The city still needs $6,500 to fund the drone show, which costs $50,000. Hoover said they hope to raise another $20,000 for security, promotion, the DJ and the dance floor.
“We’re trying to keep it very simple — just pull off a fun event for the community,” Hoover said. “It will be free, and then we’ll see how attendance was, we’ll see if people enjoyed it, and if we should continue it or not. We’re just trying to make something happen for Fourth of July for our community.”
The Goleta City Council is set to review a contract with the drone company at the April 1 City Council meeting.