Eurovision 2023 launched with record-breaking drone show

The opening ceremony for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest hosted the UK’s biggest-ever single-location drone show.

The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome, which took place at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, featured 624 drones flown by Celestial, using drone show software provided by SPH Engineering.

The drones flew two four-minute shows, depicting images such as the national bird of Ukraine and the symbol of Liverpool, the liver bird.

The opening ceremony – which also featured a concert including artists such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the Real Thing, the Lightning Seeds and Atomic Kitten – was watched by more than 40,000 people.

Celestial’s founder and chief commercial officer, John Hopkins, said: “Our drone show for Eurovision celebrates Liverpool, music and, of course, last year’s winner, Ukraine. Designing this show was a fantastic opportunity to bring unique expressions of harmony and togetherness over the skies of this incredible city.”

Alex Levandovskiy, the head of SPH Engineering’s drone show division, said: “The drone show perfectly demonstrated how drones can be used to create stunning visual displays that entertain and inspire people from all walks of life.”