What a Show Costs
Every show is custom-quoted, because show scale, creative scope, date, and venue combine differently every time. Here is what each show size can do, what moves the number, and what the quote covers.
What Each Show Size Can Do
We fly shows from 100 to 1,500 drones. The right size comes from what you want in the sky: how large the formations, how detailed the imagery, and how many scenes the story needs. 300 is what we flew for the City of Mesa on July 4th, 2026. Tell us the moment you have in mind and we will recommend the configuration that fits it.
Brand activations, smaller corporate events, community celebrations.
- ·Clean, recognizable visuals
- ·Logos, icons and text
- ·Music synchronization
Municipal events, resort shows, mid-scale corporate.
- ·Everything at 100 drones
- ·Minimal 3D formations
- ·Larger coverage area
Large festivals, civic holiday shows, signature celebrations.
- ·Scannable QR codes
- ·Large-format imagery
- ·Dimensional movement
Headliner-scale productions and large public events.
- ·Aerial screen projection
- ·Highly detailed, multi-scene storytelling
- ·Quoted per production
A few effects need a minimum number of drones to be possible at all. If one of them matters to your show, it sets the starting point for your configuration.
Shapes start reading with depth instead of as flat outlines.
A code your guests can scan from the ground with their phones.
The drones hold a large grid and light up like pixels, so imagery or video plays across it like a screen in the sky.
All Show-Related Costs Are in the Quote
Priced separately: a media package for your show, managed media campaigns, repeat shows, and pyrotechnics. Certificates of Insurance are available on request, naming venues or municipalities as additional insured.
Cost Factors
Show scale
The number of drones shapes what a show can do: larger formations, finer detail, and effects like aerial screen projection that need a minimum count.
Date and season
Peak dates cost more: July 4th, New Year's Eve, and holidays. Demand is year-round, so off-peak dates are both cheaper and easier to secure.
Creative scope
How many scenes, how custom the imagery, and how detailed the formations. Scope is agreed in your proposal before you sign, so you know exactly what the quote covers.
Travel
Arizona shows carry no travel premium anywhere in the state; your quote still reflects the show and the requirements of your site. Out-of-state shows are quoted case by case.
Pyrotechnic coordination
Timing a show to existing or contracted ground pyro is the standard offering. Onboard pyro on the aircraft is available on request and requires extended lead time.
Scale of the program
A single show and a recurring series are planned and quoted differently. Recurring programming and SkyBank are both built around shows planned together.
Planning More Than One Show
A series is planned and quoted as a whole, so each show is designed as part of the program rather than booked one at a time. A few ways it can work:
Opening and closing
A pair of shows that bookends a season, a festival, or a venue opening, designed so the second answers the first.
A seasonal series
A show on a regular night through a season, each with its own design. Aqua Nights at JW Marriott Desert Ridge ran 11 Friday-night shows across the summer, opening with a Memorial Day show.
See Aqua Nights →Year-round programming
A standing program across the calendar, with each show planned around its own moment: holidays, signature events, and community nights.
Secure Capacity.
Deploy Flexibly.
Commit capacity upfront to unlock volume pricing, then allocate it flexibly across the year. One drone credit is one drone deployed in one show.
Minimum commitment and volume pricing are quoted directly.
1,500 drone credits secured, allocated across a year:
How Billing Works
Secures your date and covers design.
Due before the show.
Custom schedules can be arranged for municipal and enterprise clients. Deposits cover our costs and are typically non-refundable once design work begins. Weather-related rescheduling is always included at no extra charge; safety is always the final decision driver.
Common Questions
Every show is custom-quoted. For planning, use three budget ranges: $10–30K, $30–60K, and $60K+. Your proposal reflects the creative scope, show scale, venue, and date. Send us your event date, location, and what you want the show to do, and we’ll recommend a configuration and return a proposal within days.
Show scale and creative scope do most of the work: more drones allow larger and more detailed formations, and the number of scenes and how custom the designs are shapes the programming. Creative scope is agreed in your proposal, so you know what you are paying for before you sign. Beyond that: the event date, since peak dates like July 4th and New Year's Eve carry higher pricing; pyrotechnic coordination; and the requirements of your site. Arizona shows carry no travel premium, and out-of-state travel is quoted per inquiry. We walk through all of it with you before you get a proposal.
Yes. Off-peak dates cost less than peak ones. If you are planning more than one show, such as an opening and closing pair or a series across a season, tell us up front: recurring programming is planned and quoted as a whole rather than one show at a time. Reduced rates are available for schools, municipalities, and nonprofits, quoted case by case. Show structure is flexible too: the goal is to find the right show for your event, not to oversell drone count.
Every show includes creative development and a fully rendered concept before you approve anything, show design and programming, flight operations with 2 licensed pilots plus technicians and on-site production crew, event-specific liability coverage, FAA authorizations and city or county permitting, crew travel and lodging, music synchronization, and on-site setup and teardown. All show-related costs are included in the quote. A media package for your show is available separately, scoped to what you need.
Pricing reflects the actual cost of producing your show (drone count, crew, permitting, and logistics), so there is not much margin to negotiate. Scope is a different matter. If you have a budget target, tell us, and we will talk through show structures that get to your creative goal within it.
Yes. Reduced rates are available for schools, municipalities, and nonprofits. They are quoted case by case rather than published as a rate card, so contact us with your event and programming budget and we will work from there.
Ready for a real number?
Tell us your event date, location, and what you want the show to do. We'll return a custom proposal within days.
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Prefer to contact us directly? info@pulsedrones.com.