71,207 drones in a week: Sky Elements takes two Guinness titles

Sky Elements flew an 11,000-drone show in Texas, which it says is the largest in the US. Seven shows in three nights totaled 71,207 drones.

If you think you knew what drone shows looked like, sad blobs moving fitfully around the sky while the crowd below wished for fireworks, then US specialist Sky Elements is about to reset your expectations.

The company set two Guinness World Records titles during seven drone shows over three consecutive nights in Blue Ridge, Texas. One was for the largest aerial display of a mythical creature, flown with 10,183 drones against a previous mark of 2247. It’s a weirdly specific category, but undoubtedly impressive.

For our money, though, the composition below is even better, especially the transition from animated mandala to roaring lion’s head

The second record came from launching 71,207 drones in one week, surpassing the previous record of 55,939. The week included six 10,000-drone shows and one 11,000-drone show, which Sky Elements says is the largest drone show ever flown in America.

"Until now, shows of this size have happened in Asia and the Middle East. This week, we proved an American team can fly them here at home, and we did it night after night,” said Rick Boss, CEO of Sky Elements in a statement.

Sky Elements has previously used light show drones from Seattle-based UVify, including the IFO and IFO-P models for its pyrotechnic shows, alongside Skybrush software. The Blue Ridge event was produced in partnership with Damoda America, the Shenzhen-based firm behind several of China's largest Guinness-certified shows. It launched its North American operation in May 2025.

For the curious, the largest ever drone display is currently the 33,615 flown in a joint effort by three companies over the Chinese city of Dujiangyan in May 2026. Damoda’s increasing involvement in the US might mean that we’re entering an era of impressive competition. These Guinness titles are Sky Elements' 18th and 19th world records, and you wouldn’t bet against a 20th being on the way soon.