Burnsville 1,200-Drone Show to Honor 25th Anniversary of 9/11
Provided by: Burnsville Festival/Facebook
BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA - The skies over Burnsville will become the backdrop for a large-scale tribute Friday night (tonight), as 1,200 illuminated drones take flight to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The special aerial drone show is scheduled to begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday, September 11, 2026, as part of the Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster at Civic Center Park. Organizers say the approximately 15-minute display will honor those who lost their lives during the September 11th attacks, including the first responders who died while attempting to save others. The show will also honor Burnsville's own fallen heroes.
This year marks 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks in New York City, at the Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
The Burnsville Festival described Friday night's display as a special remembrance of the tragedy and the first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice.
1,200 Drones Will Fill the Burnsville Sky
Friday's performance will be the Burnsville Festival's second annual large-scale aerial drone show. Aerial Illuminations, based in Shakopee, Minnesota, and Orlando, Florida, is presenting the show. Pawn America is sponsoring the 1,200-drone performance.
The drones are expected to fly approximately 700 feet above the ground, making the display visible well beyond the immediate festival grounds. Shortly before the performance begins, festival organizers will announce the start of the show and direct spectators to look toward the southwestern sky.
The scheduled show time is 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. However, organizers caution that the 9:30 p.m. launch is a target time and could be affected by weather conditions, particularly wind.
Viewing Available Outside Festival Grounds
People do not necessarily need to be inside the main festival grounds to see the display.
Festival organizers are making designated viewing space available on fields directly behind Nicollet Middle School, where spectators may bring blankets or chairs and sit between the security perimeter lines and fencing separating the public from the drone and fireworks safety areas.
Because there will be no fireworks Friday night, spectators will also be permitted to use the fireworks safety zone on the east side of the fence line for viewing the drone show.
Above is a map of the spectator viewing area provided by the Burnsville Festival, followed by a Google Map of Civic Park for another view of the viewing area.
Organizers emphasized that spectators must remain outside restricted drone safety areas and follow posted fencing and security boundaries. Because the drones will reach approximately 700 feet in altitude, the show should also be visible from a considerable distance around Burnsville.
Anyone choosing to watch from outside the designated festival viewing areas is asked to use caution and park only where parking is legally permitted. Drivers should avoid stopping or parking in locations that could obstruct traffic, emergency vehicles, or other motorists.
A Tribute 25 Years After September 11th
Friday's show comes exactly 25 years after the attacks that fundamentally changed the United States and became one of the deadliest days in the nation's history.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, another struck the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Among those killed were hundreds of firefighters, law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel who responded to the unfolding disaster.
Burnsville's commemorative display is intended not only to remember the victims of those attacks, but also to recognize the first responders who ran toward danger to help others. The tribute will extend closer to home by recognizing Burnsville's fallen heroes, connecting the national remembrance with members of the local public safety community who have lost their lives in service.
Additional event details and the full schedule are available through Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster
Written by: Will Wight
