LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The City of Lansing is getting ready for its Silver Bells in the City celebration this Friday. Across the state in Detroit, Firefly Drone Shows is working to finish the performance that will finish off the night.
Mindy Biladeau, the Vice President of Sales and Service at the Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority, said her team is getting ready to welcome an estimated 40,000 people downtown.
“We’re excited to celebrate 40 years of silver bells with the community,” Biladeau said. “It brings joy, comfort, and hope to so many, and we’re really looking forward to a really special night.”
The evening kicks off with shopping in Silver Bells Village, followed by a lighted parade, performances for guest musicians, and the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree. To wrap up the night, Firefly Drone Shows puts on a one-of-a-kind performance over the capitol dome, one they’ve already been planning for six months.
Matthew Sanker is the lead producer with Firefly. He said they have been working on their own drones and creating elaborate shows since 2017. Just this year, Firefly performed over 200 shows, with drone totals ranging from 200 to more than 1000.
“The magic is definitely trying to figure out how to make 200 drones look as impressive and as interesting and detailed as possible.” Sanker said “Of course, there are so many other fun things about the event. It’s just so neat to be a part of it and be a pretty neat staple to it now ourselves.”
It all starts with the development team that works on the software and builds the 2nd generation Firefly drones used in the shows. Then the animation team takes over to create a digital version of the drone show. The team uses a computer program to animate exactly what the drones will do in the air and how those movements will make a bigger picture. On the day of the show, the operations and pilot team will use those drone paths to perform the show and fly the animation files they’ve made.
This year, the 200 drone light show will be 15 minutes long. Adding to the 60,000 rooftop lights, 10,000 Christmas tree lights, and 10,000 LED bracelets to be handed out during the celebration.
Those events will kick off in downtown Lansing at 5:00 pm on Friday. You can find more information at silverbellsinthecity.com
