ARE DRONE LIGHT SHOWS SLOWLY REPLACING FIREWORKS DISPLAYS?

As the world moves towards a greener outlook from the highly dangerous fireworks displays on Guy Fawkes 5 November and New Year's Eve that terrorise the neighbourhood may be replaced by much safer drone light shows as a colourful alternative.

The first drone light show took place in 2012 in the skies of Linz, Austria, dazzling the crowd with what was, at the time, something out of science fiction. Since then, drone light shows have become popular everywhere as they become a substitute for fireworks. Many cities, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere have banned fireworks outright and I for one would like to see this happen in South Africa.

DRONES ARE SAFER, GREENER, QUIETER AND COOLER  

There is a reason drone light shows are becoming especially popular in many cities since they do not place lives and property at risk. When I was a youngster, I watched our neighbour's thatch house burn to the ground after being hit by a skyrocket that went off course. By the time the fire brigade arrived there was almost nothing left of the property and yet in this country we still allow the sale and use of fireworks within the suburban areas. Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity as climate change worsens and fireworks, if you could not imply from th name, cause fires more than you might think.