Dubai : As Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) enters its final weekend, families, residents and visitors are invited to come together for the closing performances of the DSF Drone Show, one of the festival’s most loved shared experiences. The DSF Drone Show presented by Emarat, which has transformed Dubai’s skyline for 38 nights, concludes on 11 January 2026, marking the finale of a landmark season of aerial storytelling, innovation and spectacle.
Since December, the DSF Drone Show has delivered an unprecedented 78 performances, lighting up the skies above Bluewaters Island and The Beach JBR twice nightly at 8pm and 10pm. Each evening, 2,000 drones take to the air across two shows, including 200 specialised pyro drones, creating waterfall-style pyrotechnic effects choreographed seamlessly into the aerial formations.
Across the season, the production has featured 18 bespoke animations and specially designed transitions, delivered through two entirely different full-scale shows — alongside three special show days that introduced adapted programming and custom sequences, including performances integrated with live skydiver stunts.
World Firsts and Record-Breaking Moments
This year’s DSF Drone Show has delivered a series of global firsts that have firmly positioned Dubai at the forefront of large-scale public spectacle:
- The first-ever aerial presentation of The Bunnyman — a globally recognised artwork by Johnny Depp, transformed from canvas into a living installation in the sky
- The creation of the world’s largest drone tunnel, formed by 1,000 drones
- A tunnel spanning more than 500 metres across the bay, reaching a height of 400 metres
- A never-before-seen moment combining live skydivers passing through the drone tunnel, synchronised with pyrotechnic effects
The show also marked the debut of next-generation drone technology, offering extended flight times, high wind resistance, waterproof capability, brighter lights and more vivid colour output than any previous DSF season. Advanced safety, redundancy and collision-avoidance systems — particularly for pyro drones — enabled complex choreography to be delivered consistently and safely night after night.
A Citywide Celebration in the Sky
Beyond its technical achievements, the DSF Drone Show has become one of the festival’s most loved shared experiences — free, open-access and visible from across the waterfront. Night after night, families, residents and visitors have gathered along the shoreline, while party boats anchored behind the launchpad created a unique VIP viewing atmosphere on the water.
Behind the scenes, the production has been a feat of logistics as well as creativity, with the entire drone system fully installed and dismantled from zero every single day, allowing uninterrupted daytime operations at Skydive Dubai.
Marco Niedermeier, Founder, CEO & Producer at AO Multimedia and Drones, said: “We are incredibly proud to have brought the Bunnyman artwork by Johnny Depp into the sky for the first time ever and to have realised the world’s largest drone tunnel together with live skydivers and pyrotechnics. Working with DSF has been fantastic – a partner that shares our ambition and embraces bold, extravagant and cutting-edge ideas to create truly unforgettable moments.”
“Two independent shows plus three special nights allowed us to create emotional, high-impact moments across Bluewaters, The Beach JBR and Ain Dubai — from the energy of City of Dreams to the colour and joy of Celebration. Transforming the iconic Bunnyman from canvas to the sky opened a completely new chapter of ‘Art in the Sky’.”
Final Weekend Details
- What: DSF Drone Show presented by Emarat
- Where: Above the bay between Bluewaters Island and The Beach JBR
- When: Final performances until 11 January 2026
- Times: 8pm and 10pm daily
- Access: Free public viewing along the waterfront
- Special Show: A special show with pyro skydivers will take place at 8pm on 10 January 2026
As DSF draws to a close, the final weekend offers a last chance to experience a show that has redefined what large-scale public entertainment can look like — combining art, technology and storytelling at a scale seen nowhere else.
Strategic Partners
DSF 2025-2026 is supported by Key Sponsor Commercial Bank of Dubai, and Strategic Partners, including: Al-Futtaim Malls (Dubai Festival City Mall and Festival Plaza), Al Zarooni Group (Mercato Shopping Mall), AW Rostamani Group, DHAM (Souq Al Seef, Bluewaters, Ibn Battuta Mall, Nad Al Sheba Mall, Palm Jumeirah Mall, and The Outlet Village), Emirates airline, ENOC, e&, Majid Al Futtaim (Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira), Merex Investment (City Walk and The Beach JBR), talabat, plus more to be revealed.
