Skypixels Unveils Nigeria’s Pioneer Mega Drone Light Show

Indigenous tech firm Skypixels has introduced Nigeria’s first large-scale drone light show, featuring 1,000 drones in a synchronised aerial display, signalling a bold shift in entertainment, advertising, and storytelling experiences.

As part of the soft launch, held at the Lagos Polo Club in Ikoyi on Sunday, Skypixels brought together a fleet of 1,000 drones, each equipped with GPS and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning systems that ensure precision, stability, and synchronisation during flight.

Operated autonomously, following pre-programmed flight paths designed by a team of specialists, the drones use GPS and RTK positioning for precise, autonomous flights along pre-programmed paths and form graphics, text, and animations in the night sky, offering a modern alternative to traditional fireworks,  a delight to watch while the show lasts.

Speaking at the launch, founder and CEO of Skypixels, Rotimi Makanjuola, described the innovation as “the next stage in advancing entertainment technology,” noting that while fireworks offer bursts of colour and sound, drone shows deliver far more dynamic and programmable experiences.

“What we have here tonight is called a drone show. if you look at past innovations, we used to have fireworks, which people use during most celebrations. The use of fireworks raises safety concerns beyond their environmental impact. So, there has been a shift from that entertainment style to something more contemporary and modern.

The advantage of drones is that they can do something similar to fireworks, but even more than fireworks do. Fireworks can just give you colour displays and sounds, but this can give you graphics and text, and do so in an animated way as well. These are GPS-enabled drones with ROTK, which hooks up to a GPS to provide stability during flight. So, you need the programmers who would work on the sequence, or flight path that it is going to take,” Makanjuola stated.

Speaking about the probability of collision and essence, he added: “So, the question is: how come they do not collide? It is because each of them has been programmed with its own flight sequence, and you can come up with the choreography.

In other words, how do you want it to move in the sky, maybe like a flashing text, graphics, image, or you can come up with other designs as well, and it is available for government agencies, non-government organisations, corporate entities and individuals.  For instance, if you have a celebration or event, say a 10th anniversary, you could have the logo up in the air with a formation for about 20 minutes. It also depends on how many minutes you want it to run and how many drones you have.

Also speaking, SkyPixel programme coordinator, Ese Obukonise, explained that each drone is assigned a unique trajectory, eliminating the risk of mid-air collisions even when hundreds operate simultaneously.

“People often wonder how 1,000 drones can fly together without crashing,” she said.

“The answer lies in programming. Each drone has its own sequence, and when combined, they create a seamless choreography in the sky. This choreography allows for complex formations, ranging from corporate logos and celebratory messages to intricate animated visuals that transform the night sky into a digital canvas,” he submitted.

According to Obukonise, who said the company operates under approvals from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and engages with agencies such as the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Security Adviser’s office to operate the UAVs, said beyond its visual appeal, drone light shows offer significant environmental and safety advantages over traditional fireworks.

“You know the fireworks will definitely leave their marks on the environment, emissions in terms of smoke and fumes, but this has no emissions, and another advantage is regarding sustainability. We have the flight limits, and you have to do your geo-fencing, among others. And even before you come to the site, you need to check the weather and other factors that could impact your flight. Then, we also go the extra mile to work with Air Traffic Control (ATC) to ensure that this doesn’t affect aircraft parts. Like I said earlier, we also have the height ceiling and geo-fencing to ensure the drone doesn’t stray and will return if there is an issue,” Obukonise said.

According to Makanjuola, drones are being used in different sectors, including agriculture, construction, security, and the cleaning of solar panels and buildings, and are now available for advertising and events, especially during festive periods like Ramadan, Easter, Children’s Day, and Independence Day. And safety remains a central focus of Skypixels’ operations, with the integration of multiple fail-safe mechanisms, including geo-fencing technology that restricts drones to designated airspace and ‘return-to-home’ features that automatically guide drones back in the event of a malfunction.

“We’re happy to be the first company in Nigeria to have over 1,000 drones, and we can create pictures, and it’s a new way of advancing the technology that is going on around the world. Not many people have seen it before. That’s why we’re quite excited to launch this. This goes to about 200 feet,” Makanjoula concluded.