What Does a Drone Show Cost?
What Does a Drone Show Cost for Your Event?
What does a drone show cost? The honest answer is: it depends on your event. The price is shaped above all by the number of drones, the show design, the duration, the location and the permits required. Instead of a flat rate, we cost every show individually, so that you pay for exactly what your drone show genuinely needs.
Why There Is No Flat Rate for Drone Shows
Every event is different. A compact show for a company celebration differs considerably from a large production above a festival. This is why the cost of a drone show always depends on its scale. The more drones take to the air, the more elaborate the design and the stricter the requirements at the location, the greater the effort involved. That is precisely why, at SMIA, you receive no off-the-shelf estimate but an honest and transparent calculation.
Individually costed, not a flat rate
How the Price Is Made Up
Transparent Costing
The Factors That Determine What a Drone Show Costs
The Key Cost Factors
- Number of drones
- Effort for show design and animations
- Duration and number of shows
- Location, travel and logistics
- Permits and safety concept
- Pyrotechnics on the drones, if desired
- Music, audio and on-site technology
- Lead time and planning effort
Showcase
Just a few of countless stories in the air and on the ground!
DATEV Challenge ROTH 2026 drone show
The drone show at the DATEV Challenge Roth was part of a complex live production of pyrotechnics, laser show, light, music and stadium dramaturgy. Rather than aiming for the largest possible number of drones, SMIA developed a precisely integrated show with 180 drones, a fully in-house design and timecode integration.
Wacken Open Air 2024
As part of the festival production, SMIA staged the Space Cowboys show in the Wacken sky, alongside the iconic Grawling Creatures as a separate special show. The timecode tied every formation precisely to the stage sound and lighting design, so that sky and stage worked as a single staging.
Conference of State Parliament Presidents NRW
For the Conference of State Parliament Presidents, at the invitation of State Parliament President André Kuper, 200 drones staged European motifs and the symbolic handover of the baton over Rietberg. The show accompanied a political event in which precision and timing left no room to spare.
Rietberger Himmelsleuchten 25
At Rietberger Himmelsleuchten, SMIA flew the first officially approved drone show in Germany to combine fireworks adapted to the drones with conventional fireworks. 350 drones presented a purpose-built show design for the first time. The permit came about through direct dialogue with the aviation authorities.
