20 Jul 2023
Drone show versus fireworks show cost comparison, City of Durango 4th of July
A drone show has taken the place of a fireworks show on the 4th of July in the city of Durango for the years 2022 and 2023.
This picture of the Pixis drone show in Durango is about how exciting the drone show is to watch in person.
Rather than put the Durango Fire Protection District for the night during what used to be a fireworks show, the City of Durango has instead adopted a nanny-state policy of paying a contractor to fly drones over the city.
What used to be an exciting hour-long fireworks show is now a 10-minute choreographed aerial display of 125 drones that’s coordinated by a computer program.
Good luck noticing the drone show when it happens.
Comparatively, the drone show appears to cost more than any fireworks show with cleanup costs included, according to city records.
It appears that the most money the city of Durango ever spent on a fireworks show was in 2019, when the city spent about $16,700 dollars on fireworks. That cost included $14,500 dollars for the fireworks, $1,500 dollars for hiring Durango Fire Protection District to launch the fireworks, and $700 dollars for Troop 501 to cleanup afterwords.
Specifically, the City of Durango paid Pixis Drones $45,000 dollars for the show that they put on this year (2023).
The cost and duration of the drone show was connected to the request for bids from the city. It asked for a show of ten minutes minimum and at a cost not to exceed $45,000 that would use at least 100 drones. The City of Durango got three bids from companies in Texas, Nebraska, and Virginia that all submitted bids 44k-45k and using 125-135 drones.
In the end, it was a contractor out of Alexandria, Virginia called Pixis Drones that received the contract to perform Durango’s drone show.
To see the website of Pixis Drones, CLICK HERE.
Adam Howell is a writer who believes in free press and the importance of the constitution. He can be reached by clicking on this link to the contact page.
Fireworks__Expenditures_2013-2023
RFQ NO. 2023-0012
City of Durango GrantsContract Division (2)
Agreement_3-31-2023_with_Pixis_Drones._LLC
City of Durango GrantsContract Division
