Heads Up!: Drone show to cap Wilmette Block Party, as Fourth fireworks makeup

Wilmette is trying something new for its (belated) Fourth of July celebration.

Rather than just rescheduling the annual July 3 Fun and Fireworks event, the Wilmette Park District is joining forces with the Village to host Wilmette’s first synchronized drone show for the fifth anniversary of The Wilmette Block Party on Saturday, Aug. 29.

A Fourth of July weekend storm interrupted firework shows around the North Shore earlier this month, leading to the cancelation of celebrations in Wilmette, Highland Park and beyond.

After reassessing possible dates to redo a fireworks display, the park district decided the “best opportunity” to bring the community together was at the block party in downtown Wilmette, the park district’s Facebook page wrote Monday afternoon. 

Rescheduling the Fun and Fireworks event at Gillson Park would require “extensive” staffing, public safety coordination, entertainment and traffic management, said JP McNamara, the district’s marketing and communications manager, in an email to The Record. 

Plus, the drone show will not cost more than the planned fireworks celebration, McNamara said.

Wilmette’s fireworks provider, Mad Bomber Fireworks, partners with Chicago Drone Light Shows for a variety of entertainment displays. Mad Bomber Fireworks provided Wilmette a credit after the cancellation, which offset the cost of the drone show. 

“The block party provided an opportunity to offer something unique,” McNamara wrote. “Introducing the community’s first drone show creates a memorable experience and delivers the sky celebration residents anticipated after the July 3 cancelation. Importantly, this was achieved without exceeding the established budget.”

Popularized at amusement parks around the country, synchronized drone shows are aerial displays with dozens, hundreds of even thousands of illuminated drones, arranged and programmed by a computer.

The Wilmette Block Party is scheduled from noon to 10 p.m. on Aug. 29 and will include music, live entertainment, games and a variety of food vendors taking over the intersection of Central and Wilmette avenues.

Both Wilmette and Highland Park had planned fireworks for Friday, July 3, which were canceled due to forecasted storms. Highland Park plans to reschedule its fireworks, but a new date is yet to be announced.

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