500 drones light up San Jose sky for Fourth of July, drawing thousands of people

SAN JOSE, Calif (KGO) -- Thousands of people gathered at Lake Cunningham on Saturday to celebrate the Fourth of July with a large-scale drone show that city leaders say offers a safe alternative to fireworks.

The event marked the second year San Jose has used drones to light up the sky for the holiday. Organizers said this year's display was twice as large as last year's, featuring 500 drones.

The celebration included food, live music and vendors before spectators turned their attention skyward for the evening show.

"It's wonderful because I get to see the drones," said San Jose resident Justin De Guzman. "What I love seeing is the American eagle just flying around," he added.

The event was also tied to the nation's 250th anniversary, a milestone many attendees said was worth recognizing.

"Happy Birthday to America. Happy birthday to America," attendees chanted during the celebration.

"We're excited. Every excited that's why we are here," said Bob Daffeh of San Leandro.

"It means something great. 250 years of existence. All of the trials and tribulations. All of the different cultures. dissidents and mixtures," Daffeh said.

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San Jose Councilman Domingo Candelas said the event was intended to bring the community together while also reducing the use of illegal fireworks.

"This is a great opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate what our community is all about," Candelas said. "Diversity, the ability to come together as one and just creating a stronger nation together."

Candelas said the city launched the drone program in part as a public safety measure.

"Part of the reason of why we're bringing this safe drone spectacular out is to deter that illegal use," he said. "We see the most amount of 911 calls, fire emergency response calls responding to explosions or at home fireworks, and this is our way to deter that. In the first year we did this, we saw a 70 percent decrease in calls for service addressed to the fire department."

Many spectators said they embraced the concept.

"How was everything? It's really good. Really really exciting," said San Jose resident Armelito Reyes.

"The eagle, the USA. There's also the 250 anniversary. And of course, the last one is happy July 4th San Jose," Reyes said.

The drone performance featured a variety of patriotic images, including an American flag and a bald eagle. The show also included FIFA World Cup-themed displays, reflecting the Bay Area's role in hosting tournament matches.

For many in attendance, the drone show served as the finale to a daylong Fourth of July celebration at Lake Cunningham.