The Drone Light Festival returns Oct. 3–5 with an all-new show featuring 400 drones — 100 more than last year — choreographed to the music of John Williams. Staged over the Keeper of the Plains, the annual festival typically draws about 10,000 people.
This year’s Drone Light Festival program includes music from Harry Potter, Superman, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Jaws and E.T., with all-new drone formations and, for the first time, a live string quartet led by former Wichita Symphony Orchestra concertmaster John Harrison.
Also new for 2025, guests will be able to step behind the scenes before the show to visit the drone launch site, see all 400 drones laid out in formation, and meet the crew that brings the performance to life.
Gates open at 6 p.m., and throughout the evening a festival atmosphere will fill the Exploration Place campus with a wide selection of food trucks, live music from The Nailbiters in the Wichita Foundation Amphitheater and laser light shows in the Dome Theater.
Admission to Exploration Place is included with every ticket, which means guests will also be the first to experience the debut of the new exhibition Ice Dinosaurs: The Lost World of the Alaskan Arctic. Opening Oct. 3 and running through January 4, 2026, the immersive experience transports visitors to the prehistoric Arctic, where newly discovered dinosaur species thrived in extreme conditions. Guests will see how these dinosaurs created families, dug burrows, and adapted to survive harsh winters — discoveries that challenge traditional understandings of paleontology.
Tickets are available now at dronelightfest.org. Options include carload passes, individual entry, reserved seating, and limited VIP packages. Full details and pricing are listed on the festival website.