Red, white and blue drones sparkled above Goleta on Saturday night for the Fourth of July.
The city of Goleta hosted its second annual Fourth of July Drone Show at the Dos Pueblos High School football stadium from 6 to 9:30 p.m., featuring 250 drones to commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday. About 4,000 people came to the free event—down from the nearly 6,000 attendees last year.
“In that Declaration of Independence was a promise for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Jennifer Smith in a speech. “We honor that promise this evening.”
Families lounged on picnic blankets on the field, wearing American flags, sunglasses and hats. Some lined up to take pictures at the photobooth, and others had their faces painted with red, white and blue streaks.
“This is back by popular demand,” said Kelly Hoover, Goleta’s community relations manager, to the crowd.
Children played carnival games and took over the dance floor to follow along with a local line-dancing instructor. Food trucks including Kona Ice, Santa Barbara Food Connection, Don Pepes, SB Hives, Lobo Butcher Shop and Sassafras served community members.
“This is a historic evening,” Smith said.
Brynn Wood, the 2026 Teen Star winner and a rising junior at San Marcos High School, sang the national anthem before the drone show.
The drones took to the sky at around 9:15 p.m., forming a variety of moving images such as birds, guitars and stars.
Hoover said in a speech that she was grateful for the support of the city of Goleta staff and the Goleta City Council, who approved the drone show in April 2025.
“Raising money for a second year can be a challenge,” Hoover said.
Several representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines stood on stage in recognition of their service.
Hoover thanked the event’s new and returning sponsors in her speech, including Yardi Systems, the Santa Barbara Airport, Santa Barbara Airbus and Santa Barbara Honda, Acura & Toyota.
“We want to see you out there, whether it’s at your school, at your scout troop, at your college, or in your community here in Goleta,” Smith said. “We want you out there participating, because that’s what makes the United States of America so incredible.”
The drone show acted as a sustainable alternative to traditional fireworks.
People in the U.S. release nearly 300 million pounds of fireworks into the air each year, according to the American Chemical Society. That marks an increase in air pollution of about 42% on the Fourth of July.
Fireworks also cause an average of 19,000 fires in the country annually, according to American Forest Management.
