Pompano Beach has set the date for its fifth Drone Show Extravaganza: Saturday, Nov. 7, when 500 lighted drones will rise over the Atlantic just south of the Fisher Family Pier in a Veterans Day weekend tribute. The show itself flies at 7 p.m., the beach party around it runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and the whole thing is free.

The details are on the city's event page, and they matter, because this has quietly become one of the biggest free nights on the Broward County coast. If you plan to go, the logistics below will save you a lot of circling.

Five years, from a novelty to a tradition

The city flew its first drone show in 2022, and it has grown every year since. In 2023 the city ran two shows in one night on Veterans Day itself, each with 300 drones. In 2024 it moved to the Saturday of Veterans Day weekend and went to a 50-drone pre-show plus a 400-drone main show. Last year it hit 500 drones for the first time, which the city described as the largest drone light show in its history.

This year holds at that 500 mark. Firefly Drone Shows, the company that has flown Pompano's shows in past years, is back, and the city credits support from businesses in Pompano Beach's Fishing Village, along with Firefly itself for making the night possible. The program is choreographed in honor of veterans, and past shows have mixed patriotic formations with ocean-themed designs that suit a city whose identity is tied to its fishing pier.

The schedule

  • 5:30 p.m.: DJ on the beach
  • 6 to 7 p.m.: live band, Junior's Entertainment Group, playing Top 40 and retro hits in English and Spanish
  • 7 to 7:15 p.m.: the drone show
  • 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.: more live music from the band
  • 8:15 to 9 p.m.: DJ closes the night

Note the length. The drone show is a quarter hour. If you arrive at 7:10, you have missed most of it. The music before and after is the reason to come early and stay late, and it is what turns 15 minutes in the sky into an evening on the sand.

Where to stand

The Fisher Family Pier, at 222 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., will be closed for the event: it shuts at 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, and reopens at 7 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8. The north side of the pier is reserved for drone staging, so the city is directing everyone to the beach on the south side. In past years the city has said the show is visible for up to five miles in clear weather, which means you do not need to be right at the pier to see it, but the music and the crowd are concentrated there.

Blankets, lawn chairs and coolers are welcome. Glass containers, alcohol, pets, personal fireworks and personal drones are not allowed. Boaters can watch from the water but have to stay outside the swim buoys and the drone safety zone. For wheelchair users, the city points to its six beach access mats.

Getting there without the parking fight

The smartest move is the free shuttle. Service starts at 1 p.m. from Pompano Community Park, with the pickup area near the Pompano Beach Aquatic Center at 820 NE 18th Ave. At the beach end, shuttles drop off and pick up at the Beach Branch Library, 3250 NE 2nd St. Two times to remember: the last shuttle to the beach leaves the park at 6 p.m., and the last ride back leaves the beach at 10 p.m.

The city's free electric shuttle service, Pompano Beach Circuit, will also be running. Request a pickup through the Ride Circuit app or flag down a driver.

If you drive, budget for it. The Pier Parking Garage will charge $20, cash only. Other city lots and metered street parking will be at a holiday rate of $4 an hour. Rideshare pickups and drop-offs are set for the Beach Branch Library.

Road closures to know

  • Riverside Drive, from NE 14th Street to 2nd Street, closes from 2 to 10 p.m. Residents will need proof of residency to get through.
  • North Pompano Beach Boulevard and eastbound Atlantic Boulevard at Harbor Drive may close as early as 6 p.m.

Anyone who lives near the pier should plan errands around that window.

Watching from home

If the beach is not in the cards, the city is streaming the show on its YouTube channel and its live stream page, and airing it on Comcast channel 78 (digital 1092). It is not the same as feeling a crowd go quiet when the first formation lights up, but it beats missing it.

Why it is worth the trip

Plenty of South Florida cities do fireworks. Pompano Beach picked something different in 2022 and kept building on it, from a single show to two, from 300 drones to 500, all of it free and timed to honor veterans. For residents, it is the rare big event that does not require a ticket, a long drive or a wristband, just a chair, a cooler and an early start. Pick your spot on the south side of the pier, get there before the band, and give yourself a reason to be on the beach after dark in November.