New York City’s Central Park had planned to replace traditional fireworks with a drone show for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration. However, due to an unfortunate incident in Florida on the 21st, the organizers of the New Year’s Eve event have decided to cancel the drone show in Central Park as they have been unable to find a replacement in a short period of time.
Last Saturday (December 21st), during a Christmas-themed drone show in Orlando, Florida, a 7-year-old boy was struck in the chest by a rogue drone, resulting in heart damage and requiring emergency heart surgery. This incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate drone safety, directly impacting the planned New Year’s Eve drone show in Manhattan’s Central Park.
The New York Road Runners (NYRR), the organizers of the New Year’s Eve run event, stated that due to time constraints, they were unable to switch back to fireworks for celebration or find alternative suppliers for a new form of celebration. According to Gothamist, the NYRR is planning on additional on-site activities such as DJ performances and light effects to surprise the runners.
In addition, the cancellation of the drone New Year’s Eve show is also related to the recent FAA ban on drones in certain areas of New York and New Jersey. Previously, the FBI was investigating widespread drone sightings.
Although the performance in Central Park has been canceled, the drone show in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is still scheduled to proceed as planned. The event is organized by the Prospect Park Alliance and executed by the supplier Santore, who will also provide a free light display for the audience.