SAN DIEGO — The Fourth of July is a big celebration, and there are plenty of options available across San Diego County, but in La Jolla and Ocean Beach, they’re lighting up the sky in a new way. One hundred drones will take to the sky above La Jolla shores, creating fantastic light displays and synchronized formations, all with no sound.
“It’s a good change, it’s going to be great for the environment, it’s not going to disturb the sea lion pups, and it’s beautiful,” said Trigger Chancey, who moved to San Diego a month ago. “It’s a new way to show patriotism. It’s modern, it’s coming into the new times, getting away from things that could be dangerous or potentially harmful to pets.”
Scheduled to launch at 8:45 p.m., the drones will head out over the ocean near the La Jolla Shores Hotel and soar 350 feet up in the air for a 15-minute jaw-dropping performance.
“If you’re in Kellogg Park or on the beach out there, you’re going to have a front-row seat to this,” said William Kellogg, president of La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, the organization hosting the event. “We’re going to have some simulated fireworks for one thing. We’ll have an American flag, we’ll have a bald eagle, we’ll have some other patriotic imagery and they’ve got an animation, so it’s going to morph from one into the other.”
Fireworks shows have traditionally been held at La Jolla Cove, but not since 2017. Funding and permitting issues, as well as a lawsuit claiming harm to sea lions, have kept fireworks grounded over the past 5 years. Organizers are hoping drone shows will become a new community tradition.
“The beauty of the drone show is there’s no fallout, there’s no sound, so my dogs will be happy,” said Kellogg.
Ocean Beach will also host its first annual drone light show on the Fourth. Instead of the usual fireworks display off the OB Pier, 300 drones will launch from Ocean Beach Elementary at 9:00 p.m. and should be visible throughout the neighborhood.
“I’m really looking forward to, not only the show, but improving the environment without having all the fireworks fallout,” said John Holladay. CBS 8 compiled a full list of July 4th celebrations across San Diego County for your convenience.
WATCH RELATED: Celebrating the 4th of July around San Diego County