After the recent Cal Fire maps designated Laguna Niguel Regional Park as being in the “very high severity” zone, city leaders have decided to replace the longtime, popular fireworks show with a drone show and live concert accompanying images tailored to the city.
The final decision was made on Tuesday, May 6, when the City Council OK’d the plan. On Wednesday, the city launched a social media campaign to inform residents of the change.
Three years ago, this month, the 200-acre Coastal Fire destroyed 20 homes and damaged another dozen in the tight-knit community. Residents are still rebuilding their properties, and city leaders are focused on public safety.
The patriotic celebration — now planned at Crown Valley Park — will feature 400 synchronized drones that hover and dance in the sky, choreographed to live patriotic music. City officials are also planning the usual holiday concert at the Crown Valley amphitheatre earlier in the day.
While the decision to switch from the booms and blasts of the past to drones was based on the results of the fire maps, City Manager Tammy Letourneau is optimistic that the city will still provide a fabulous experience for its residents.
Letourneau said that after Cal Fire released the fire maps, city staff and representatives from the Orange County Fire Authority surveyed the city to find other possible locations to launch the fireworks safely. However, given the city’s topography, she said, nothing else was identified as suitable.
“The city has a long history of an amazing fireworks show, and we loved putting it on for the community,” she said. “Unfortunately, when the maps came out and we saw our fireworks launch site right in the middle of the high fire zone, the only choice we had was to pivot to something safer.”
According to the staff report, the city considered three drone operators and selected Drone Studios for the job for about $67,000.
The show is planned to start at 9 p.m. There will be extra parking at City Hall, and shuttles will help move people around.
Officials said the Fourth of July festivities at Crown Valley Park will make it easier for people to attend because the drone show and concert are all in one location.
Letourneau said she expects some in the community will be disappointed about not having the pyrotechnic blasts that generations have come to enjoy, but she is hopeful that, in the common interest of safety, the community will embrace the new plan.
“We’re going to have a fantastic Fourth of July,” she said. “The No. 1 goal in Laguna Niguel is public safety, and we take that very seriously. We all love fireworks, and we’ve tried to create a very special Fourth of July and continue those traditions, but we have to do it in a different way.”