By Gus Saltonstall
Drones will take over the night sky on New Year’s Eve in Central Park.
Following the cancellation this year of the New York Road Runners (NYRR) annual firework celebration in Central Park due to the historic drought the city faced this fall, the running organization is pivoting to a different type of light show.
“We plan to celebrate our runners with a small, event-facing, drone show during this year’s NYRR Midnight Run, in lieu of fireworks,” a spokesperson from NYRR told West Side Rag.
The drone show will not be open to the public, though.
The drones are expected only to be seen from within the event’s “frozen zone,” which is on the 72nd Street Transverse, south of Bethesda Fountain. The specific zone is only open to registered runners and one guest per participant.
Registration for the Midnight Run is now closed.
The show will deploy 500 drones that display images related to running, and will only go on weather permitting.
The exact plans are still being finalized.
The ban on fireworks was lifted in New York City on December 9 following periods of added rainfall, but NYRR decided to still turn to the New Year’s Eve drones after the fireworks show was announced as canceled.
A Central Park drone show in October, 2023, received pushback from New York City bird organizations and Upper West Side elected officials over safety concerns for the animals.
Drones have been a popular subject in the news recently, with reported sightings skyrocketing in both New Jersey and New York. In a joint statement on Monday, four federal agencies released a statement saying that the reported sightings are a combination of airplanes, helicopters, stars, and drones being flown legally.
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Would rather have nothing as the drones are environmental issue as well.
Agree. I believe the drones stress birds (and probably other nature) in the park. Best new years gift would be peace and quiet.
They’re electric powered (zero emissions). How are they an environmental issue?
well, if there are 500 drones, and each one has four rotating blades, that’s 2,000 whirring blades (typically 4500 rpm) pulsing from high rpm to higher rpm as they rise and fall. also, there are likely to be accompanying lights turning on and off, and changing colour.
a typical commercial drone produces around 80 / 90db of sound, comparable to a leaf blower.
so, if all this takes place above the ramble’s trees (so that viewers standing on the Bathesda Terace and its overlook, can view it), every animal in the Ramble will certainly be aware of this intrusion.
is it possible that people reading this cannot imagine this for themselves?
Agreed, especially since the general public won’t be able to enjoy it.
Stars!!!! “ flown illegally”????
Really gonna miss the fireworks st 12 midnight. An annual treat traded in for a drone? Who is making this wrong decision?!
Can someone explain how and why “drought” is the purported reason for the cancellation of the always eagerly anticipated New Year’s Eve fireworks? If only valium could be administered to the birds…I am really, really, REALLY going to miss this. Is it really truly necessary? People matter too.
Re: “People matter too.” It’s unfortunate that “People’s” desire for some explosions and flashing lights in the sky is considered more important than the welfare of the many birds and other animals in the Park.
People are more important than birds.
We’ll just have to disagree about that; I don’t have that “people-centric” feeling that other living creatures should have to suffer in order to cater to the whims of humans.
it could cause a fire.
this won’t be missed by a single dog lover. good riddance.
Given everyone wants to ban fireworks because they bother birds, I imagine banning drones is up next as drones surely can harm birds as well. Let’s just ban everything.
What a stupid thing to do when everybody’s paranoid about the drones over NJ & SI. Why do we always have to destroy the environment to celebrate???
Stupid is what stupid does.
Thank you, Mayor Adams.
Don’t you read the newspapers?
Have a Blessed day!
This a public park that our taxes help pay for. Why is the drone show restricted only to the runners?
Get rid of the drones and bring back the fireworks!
Who makes these decisions!?
Bad idea. The noise will be
terrible for residents next to the Park