The Pompano Beach oceanfront drone show, now an annual Veterans Day event, was such a success that an estimated 10,000 people lined the beaches to watch nighttime displays of surfers in action, a palm tree shedding a coconut and a leaping dolphin.
“The crowd just went wild,” said Sandra King, Pompano Beach’s city spokeswoman, of the rave reviews from the beach. “It was fantastic. The crowd was roaring and clapping and yelling from excitement.”
But the city said it is open to more changes for future shows. Pompano Beach said it is navigating this alone since it is the only city in Broward to offer a show with 300 drones.
This year, there was free city shuttle service to try to eliminate the gridlock the city had last year when people were stuck in their cars and missed the show.
But it still wasn’t enough. Some people missed the shows this year because they were stuck at the shuttle line at both locations along Federal Highway and never got a seat.
“There were 100 people lined up before the first shuttle started,” King said. The eight shuttles that sat two dozen people weren’t enough to keep up with the swelling crowds that heeded the city’s advice to try to help the traffic flow.
“We will have 16-20 shuttles in the future,” she pledged Monday. “We just couldn’t keep up. Live and learn. That’s not going to happen again.”
The shuttle rides, which made a 45-minute drive in what normally takes 10 minutes, made endless loops.
Other changes worked well. This year the city had two shows, not just one, in hopes of creating more crowd control. A second set of freshly charged batteries were installed for the second show.
This year’s show cost $75,000 and with each year as interest grows, the cost goes up for city expenses such as law enforcement, parks and recreation and public works staff, and now more shuttle buses and drivers are needed. One of the few public safety issues from the night was a 3-year-old boy who separated from his parents and was found walking alone by the beach south in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, King said. He was not injured.
To help the city cover its expenses, it is considering seeking a corporate sponsor going forward.
But there will definitely be another show in 2024, King said. “The second time we’ve done it, we improved immensely.”
In 2022, the first show faced issues: Initially scheduled for the spring, it was canceled at the last minute because of the weather, with wind and driving rain that was blowing sideways, flying debris and lightning.
Veterans Day is also a good reason to have an American tribute, such as the flag and a jet taking off from an aircraft carrier with the drone lights, along with the nautical themes.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash