Flagstaff plans July 4 drone show from Coconino High with 300 drones; city details parking, safety and streaming

Flagstaff’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space division (PROS), working with Economic Vitality’s Discover Flagstaff, will stage a drone show on July 4 launching from the back ball field at Coconino High School, staff said at the Open Space Commission meeting. The city awarded a $95,000 contract for the show to OpenSky.

The event will use about 300 drones to produce a custom, roughly 23‑minute animation synchronized to music. “It’s a completely custom animation. We’ll have 300 drones. The show will go through just over 23 minutes, [with a] custom audio soundtrack,” said Hailey, parks and recreation staff, during the presentation. The show is scheduled to begin at 9:10 p.m., a start time the presenter said was chosen so the sky will be fully dark.

Why it matters: the show is meant to provide a large‑scale, city‑sanctioned July 4 display while reducing wildfire risk compared with traditional fireworks. City staff emphasized crowd, trail and traffic management steps to limit safety and access problems.

City and partner logistics and public guidance

DiscoverFlagstaff will host a public map listing recommended viewing points, parking options and access guidance, the presenter said. Designated viewing locations include Buffalo Park and several recreation centers; three of the city’s four recreation centers fall within the event’s “good” or “best” viewing rings and will extend hours for restroom access and limited onsite programming. The Moonshot Parking Lot near Buffalo Park will have public portable restrooms, and staff said additional restroom stations will be placed near trailheads and bus stops.

Parking and traffic controls are being coordinated with a contracted traffic control firm, Quill Construction. Staff said the plan includes “no parking” signage along Gemini, Cedar, Forest and Jasper streets and signs at access points to discourage people from leaving vehicles in travel lanes. Park and open‑space staff will be posted at Buffalo Park and along trails to encourage leave‑no‑trace behavior and to enforce prohibitions on motorized vehicles on trails.

Transit and parking constraints

Mountain Line transit told staff it cannot extend bus hours for the event this year; staff said they are exploring park‑and‑ride options for future events but are relying on messaging this year that encourages alternate travel modes and respectful parking near designated lots. Staff also said businesses near the event perimeter were contacted about participating as private parking providers included on the event map.

Broadcasting and audio

Because of copyright restrictions on streaming audio to YouTube, the city will live‑stream the drone video on its YouTube channel while the soundtrack will be broadcast on local radio. “There’s a copyright infringement issue if you stream audio straight to YouTube, so you’ll still have to tune into our radio station,” Hailey said. Great Circle Media has sponsored the audio broadcast; staff said the radio takeover will begin about 9:07 p.m. and run until about 9:30–9:35 p.m.

Airspace, safety and FAA coordination

Staff described FAA coordination and safety measures. The presenter said drones will operate under the required FAA notices/waivers for the event and that the drone fleet is programmed to land safely if an anomaly occurs, such as a gust of wind or unexpected aircraft. Staff also said Flagstaff Medical Center and local air transport operators have been made aware of the operation and coordination is in place for airspace where hospital helicopters operate. “If there’s an anomaly…they’ll just land themselves as a safety precaution,” the presenter said.

Volunteers, enforcement and public messaging

Volunteers and event staff will be identifiable and briefed on their roles; staff said volunteers will likely wear orange vests and be trained on when to refer issues to city staff. The public map and event messaging will advise spectators to stay off trails, to not block access points and to follow leave‑no‑trace guidance. Staff explicitly warned against spectators pulling vehicles to the roadside to watch; signage will remind drivers to “keep moving” in certain corridors to prevent backups.

Remaining constraints and next steps

Staff noted some limits—Mountain Line cannot add service this year, and several operational details (exact restroom placements and volunteer rosters) were still being finalized. The presenter encouraged the public to consult the DiscoverFlagstaff map for updated information and asked commissioners to refer questions to staff. The commission did not take formal action; staff said the contract had already been approved by city council and the presentation served as an informational update.

For more information and the public viewing map, staff said residents should consult discoverflagstaff.com and the city’s event pages.