# Macao International Fireworks Display Contest 2026: How 3,400 Drones Join the Fireworks > The 34th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest runs on five nights between 12 September and 4 October 2026, over the sea in front of Macau Tower. For the first time, about 3,400 drones join ten international fireworks teams, opening and closing the programme with formation shows built into a three-chapter story. **Published:** 2026-09-26 - **By:** MLABART ## What is the 34th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest? Held annually since 1989, the contest brings pyrotechnic teams from around the world to the sea area in front of Macau Tower. The 34th edition is organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) under the theme "Set Sail for Macao, where the Silk Road Sparkles". It runs on five evenings -- 12, 19 and 25 September, and 1 and 4 October 2026 -- with two displays of about 18 minutes each night, at 9:00 pm and 9:40 pm. Ten teams compete, from Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Korea, Thailand, China, the Philippines and the United Kingdom; the Brazilian, Swiss, Italian and Portuguese teams are making their Macao debut. | Night | Fireworks teams | Drone show | | --- | --- | --- | | Sat 12 Sep | Brazil (9:00 pm) - Switzerland (9:40 pm) | Yes -- opening formation, "Encounter with History", from about 8:50 pm | | Sat 19 Sep | Italy - Canada | No | | Fri 25 Sep (Mid-Autumn) | Portugal - Korea | No | | Thu 1 Oct (National Day) | Thailand - China | No | | Sun 4 Oct | Philippines - United Kingdom | Yes -- closing formation, "Encounter with the Future" | ## How are the drones combined with the fireworks? The programme is written as three chapters -- "Encounter with History", "Encounter with Civilization" and "Encounter with the Future". History and Future combine drone formations with fireworks; Civilization is fireworks only. MGTO reports about 3,434 drones, flown on the opening night of 12 September and the closing night of 4 October. On the opening night the drones rose first, at about 8:50 pm, drawing Macao's history as a node of the Maritime Silk Road across the sky before the Brazilian and Swiss teams took over at 9:00 pm and 9:40 pm. MGTO describes the result as ten fireworks shows paired with two drone performances to deliver "a story-driven audio-visual spectacle". The addition has a visible cost line. The 2026 budget, including outreach activities, is MOP18.9 million (about US$2.34 million), 4.65% higher than last year; MGTO attributes the increase to the drone shows, a larger programme in neighbouring Hengqin and higher logistics costs. - ![Programme of the 2026 Macao International Fireworks Display Contest: five nights. On 12 September the drones fly first at about 8:50 pm in the chapter Encounter with History, then Brazil at 9:00 pm and Switzerland at 9:40 pm. 19 September Italy and Canada, 25 September Portugal and Korea, 1 October Thailand and China are fireworks only, in the chapter Encounter with Civilization. On 4 October the drones return for Encounter with the Future, followed by the Philippines and the United Kingdom.](https://mlabart.com/insights/macao-fireworks-contest-2026-drones/programme.svg) -- Five nights, three chapters. Drone formations of about 3,434 drones fly only on the opening and closing nights. Diagram by MLABART from MGTO figures. ## How does a large drone light show work? The points below describe how large drone light shows generally work. Public coverage of this contest does not name the drone operator or its equipment. Each drone is one pixel of light. The show is designed as a sequence of 3D frames, and software converts those frames into a flight path for every drone, with spacing rules so that no two paths cross too closely. At show time a ground station sends the programme and starts every drone on one shared clock, which is what keeps formations locked to the music. Positioning is the hard part. Standard satellite positioning drifts by metres; shows at this scale typically add a real-time correction signal so each drone holds its place to within centimetres. Wind is the other limit -- above a set speed, a show is held or cancelled rather than flown. Flying drones and firing fireworks in the same sky needs separation. Drone formations and pyrotechnic bursts are normally kept apart in time, in height or both -- here, the drones open each chapter before the fireworks take over. Open water helps: a sea area gives a large, clear safety zone and doubles the image in reflection. - ![Diagram of how a drone light show is flown: each drone is one lit pixel in a formation; a ground control station starts every drone on one shared clock locked to the music; a correction signal from a ground antenna keeps each drone within centimetres of its place; the show flies inside a safety zone over open water away from the crowd; fireworks are kept apart in time or height; above a set wind speed the show is held.](https://mlabart.com/insights/macao-fireworks-contest-2026-drones/drone-show-principle.svg) -- General principle, not the actual layout of the Macao show. Diagram by MLABART. ## What can brands borrow from a drone and fireworks show? The same building blocks scale down to brand events: - Tell it in chapters -- a short opening image, a middle act and a finale read as a story, not as a sequence of effects. - Let the quiet medium lead -- drones can draw a logo or product outline precisely; the louder medium then answers it. - Plan the weather decision -- outdoor aerial shows need a go / no-go rule and a fallback, agreed before the day. - Design the viewing points -- MGTO recommends six viewing points in Macao and, for the first time, five more across the border in Hengqin and Zhuhai. Where the audience stands decides what the formation has to look like. - Give the audience something to make -- the contest runs a photo contest and an AI generative art contest alongside the shows. ## Sources The shows described here are by MGTO and the participating fireworks teams and drone operator, not by MLABART. - [Macau Business -- Macau fireworks contest targets up to 700,000 spectators](https://macaubusiness.com/macau-fireworks-contest-targets-up-to-700000-spectators/) - [Macau Business -- Night Sky Spectacle: 34th edition returns](https://macaubusiness.com/night-sky-spectacle-macao-international-fireworks-display-contest-returns-for-a-stellar-34th-edition/) - [MGTO -- Macao International Fireworks Display Contest (official site)](https://fireworks.macaotourism.gov.mo/en) - [21st Century Business Herald -- 第34届澳门国际烟花赛揭幕，3400架无人机点亮濠江夜空](https://www.21jingji.com/article/20260912/herald/22a0e6f325e7d67975cae10739d3c54c.html) ## FAQ ### When is the Macao International Fireworks Display Contest 2026? On 12, 19 and 25 September and 1 and 4 October 2026, with two displays each night at 9:00 pm and 9:40 pm, over the sea in front of Macau Tower. ### How many drones are in the 2026 Macao fireworks contest? MGTO reports about 3,434 drones -- more than 3,400 -- flown on the opening night of 12 September and the closing night of 4 October. It is the first time drones have joined the contest. ### Which countries compete in the 2026 Macao fireworks contest? Brazil, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Portugal, Korea, Thailand, China, the Philippines and the United Kingdom. ## Related Pages **See also:** [Light Art & Audiovisual Installations](https://mlabart.com/solutions/light-art-installations/) | [Projection Mapping](https://mlabart.com/solutions/projection-mapping/) | [Product Launch Reveal Stages](https://mlabart.com/solutions/product-launch-reveals/) --- **MLABART** -- Interaction - Imagination - Innovation MLABART is a creative technology studio specializing in interactive installations, digital multimedia art, and immersive experiences. We take projects from creative direction to commercial delivery -- building audiovisual interactive installations, anamorphic 3D billboards (naked-eye 3D), kinetic mechanical installations, and AI-driven experiences for brand activations, exhibition spaces, and public environments. - Web: https://mlabart.com - Email: mark@touchworld-sh.com - Phone / WhatsApp: +86 18917292695 - Canonical HTML version: https://mlabart.com/insights/macao-fireworks-contest-2026-drones/