The city of Goleta is piloting a free community 4th of July Drone Show at Dos Pueblos High School, 7266 Alameda Ave., and is looking for community support to help make it a success.

Thanks to several community partners who have already stepped up, the city has raised enough funds to hire a drone show vendor, but is still fundraising for another $25,000 to pay for associated costs (security, audio/visual, custodial, entertainment …).
 
“Goleta has not seen a nighttime event for Fourth of July since 2019 and this is a wonderful opportunity to experience a drone show together,” said Kelly Hoover, community relations manager.

“While we have the foundation for a great event, we need more community partners to come forward now and help us fund the rest,” she said. “With Independence Day just three months away, time is of the essence to get all our funding in place.”

Groups that jumped in early and got the concept off the ground, include Santa Barbara Unified School District, Yardi Systems, Teledyne FLIR, Deckers, Goleta Valley Historical Society, MarBorg, Community West Bank, and Santa Barbara Air Bus.

The city hopes to add and finalize its list of sponsors by May 1.

All donations made in support of the free community event may be considered a charitable contribution to the city of Goleta and may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
 
Doors to the Drone Show event open at 6 p.m. Among the highlights will be food trucks, DJ Darla Bea, a dance floor, and stage.

The drone show will begin at around 8:30 p.m. with a choreographed, animated light show that could be visible to the surrounding community from up to 10 miles away. Optimal viewing will be from within the stadium itself, the city said.
 
Whether the drone show continues in the future will be based on how well it is received and the level of community support, the city said.

For many years, it was a tradition to go to Girsh Park for the Goleta Fireworks Shows put on by the Goleta Rotary Club.

“The event went away during the pandemic and never returned for a variety of reasons, including the cost and time required for a volunteer group to put on an event of this magnitude,” the city said. “There are also concerns surrounding fireworks, including fire hazards, impacts to wildlife, and to people and pets with noise sensitivities.

“Because of these issues, many cities and jurisdictions across the country are transitioning from fireworks to drone shows.”

Community partners who are interested in fundraising, or who know of someone who may want to participate, should email pio@cityofgoleta.org.