City Raising Funds to Put on Free Event at Dos Pueblos High School

The City of Goleta is excited to pilot a free community 4^th of July Drone Show at Dos Pueblos High School (7266 Alameda Avenue) and we need your support to help make it a success! Thanks to several community partners who have already stepped up, the City has raised enough funds to hire a drone show vendor but is still fundraising for an additional $25,000 to pay for associated costs (security, audio/visual, custodial, entertainment, etc.).

Community Relations Manager Kelly Hoover said, “Goleta has not seen a nighttime event for Fourth of July since 2019 and this is a wonderful opportunity to experience a drone show together. While we have the foundation for a great event, we need more community partners to come forward now and help us fund the rest. With Independence Day just three months away, time is of the essence to get all our funding in place.”

Thanks to the generous groups who jumped in early and gave this concept the momentum it needed to take flight, including the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Yardi Systems, Teledyne FLIR, Deckers, Goleta Valley Historical Society, MarBorg, Community West Bank, and Santa Barbara Air Bus. The City hopes to add and finalize its list of sponsors by May 1^st.  All donations made in support of this free community event may be considered a charitable contribution to the City of Goleta and may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

While planning is still in the works, doors will open at 6:00 p.m. at Dos Pueblos High School. There will be food trucks, DJ Darla Bea playing, a dance floor, a stage, and potentially more fun activities for all ages. The drone show will begin at approximately 8:30 p.m. While the choreographed, animated light show will be potentially visible to the surrounding community from up to ten miles away, optimal viewing will be from within the stadium itself. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Whether the drone show continues in the future will be based on how well it is received and the level of community support.

For many years, it was a beloved tradition to go to Girsh Park for the Goleta Fireworks Shows put on by the Goleta Rotary Club.  The event went away during the pandemic and never returned for a variety of reasons, including the cost and time required for a volunteer group to put on an event of this magnitude.  There are also concerns surrounding fireworks, including fire hazards, impacts to wildlife, and to people and pets with noise sensitivities. Because of these issues, many cities and jurisdictions across the country are transitioning from fireworks to drone shows.

If you are a community partner, business, or group interested in helping to sponsor the event, or if you know of someone who may be interested, do not hesitate and please reach out via email to pio@cityofgoleta.org.