The night sky on July 4 in Chapel Hill is set to be filled with lights and action — just with a different source of entertainment than before.
The Town of Chapel Hill’s Community Arts and Culture Department announced its summer programming schedule on Thursday, which included the Fourth of July plans to hold a drone show instead of the traditional fireworks display.
The local government said the event will feature “a collection of 300 synchronized drones” by the company Skyworx, which has put on shows in cities across the U.S. — including Charlotte, N.C. — and worked with customers like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, several professional sports teams, and some of the top entertainment companies (Netflix, Apple Studios, and NBC’s Peacock). The switch is in part due to community feedback shared in a 2024 survey about the town’s annual Fourth of July celebration and to better support Chapel Hill’s sustainability and inclusivity initiatives…