Mission
To bring stories, dreams, and imagination to life in the sky, creating shared moments of wonder through the art and precision of drone flight.
Pinnacle Drone Light Shows.
Designed forwonder.
01 / OutdoorDrone light shows in the night sky.
02 / ImmersiveLow-flying drone performances, up close.
Two distinct experiences: large-scale aerial storytelling above your audience, or close-range choreography woven into a live performance.
Eight years. Never the same show twice.
Wonder, taking shape.
Interactive light study · 1,530 points
Born in Oakland, California.Made for magic.
Explore the show
8
Years of turning
ideas into light.
Custom. Never canned.
Your vision. Not a recycled show.
High above. Up close.
Outdoor spectacle. Immersive performance.
Built from experience.
The Athenians: our first 25 hand-built drones.
What Guides Us
We turn imagination into shared wonder.
Vision
A world where people look up together and experience wonder, possibility, and connection.
Operating Promise
We protect the magic through disciplined safety, technical excellence, and absolute trust.
Real people. Real preparation.
Before the sky
comes alive,
the team gets
to work.
The aircraft. The site. The people behind every light. A closer look at the preparation behind a Pinnacle performance.
See how a show comes together01 / See the real thing
Not just lights.
A living story.
A formation becomes a character. A transition becomes a surprise. And a gathering becomes a shared experience.
Press play. This is Pinnacle.
Company-supplied demo reel. The video preview needs an internet connection; the fallback is typographic artwork.Watch directly on YouTube ↗
02 / Choose your stage
Two stages.
One sense of wonder.
Custom drone light shows from Oakland, California, for San Francisco Bay Area events and beyond. Choose an outdoor spectacle or an indoor immersive performance, with each show designed around your venue and audience.
01 / OUTDOOR SPECTACLESHigh-flying. Large-scale.
From the flight archive
2000 high flying drones for the Children's Day Celebration
2000 high flying drones for the Children's Day Celebration
The night sky.
Your biggest canvas.
Large-scale outdoor drone light shows that turn your vision into a shared experience. Custom formations, movement, color, and storytelling for city celebrations, sports events, festivals, corporate events, and brand activations.
City celebrationsFestivals & sportsBrand experiences
Create an outdoor spectacle 02 / IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCESLow-flying. Up close.
Real stage footage
Our immersive drones performing with Stanford University TAP
Our immersive drones performing with Stanford University TAP
Not just above you.
Part of the performance.
Low-flying drone light shows woven into music, dance, and live performance. Indoor drone shows and outdoor immersive experiences for theaters, university performances, galas, and product launches, with audience separation and safety considered from the start.
Indoor + outdoorDance & live performanceGalas & launches
Create an immersive experience Selected performances
Real work.
Distinct stages.
From a six-aircraft community performance to an immersive collaboration with dancers and a city-scale installation in China.
Outdoor / CommunitySix drones. Lasting connections.View the project ↗
Immersive / Stanford TAPSMovement meets light.View the project ↗
Outdoor / Civic installationThe city as canvas.View the project ↗
Weddings + proposalsYour moment, written in light.Explore the experience ↗
Corporate + brandYour brand in the sky.Explore the experience ↗
Business proof / Eight yearsNever the same show twice.Discover the Pinnacle story ↗
Eight years of
original shows
original shows
Your vision sets the direction.
Your audience shapes the experience.
Custom shows. Not a catalog.
Never the same
show twice.
In eight years, we have never flown the same show twice. Each production starts with your vision, your brand, and the people you want to reach. No canned shows. No repeat productions.
The drones are the stars. The formations are their performance. Your story gives every movement a purpose.
Create your custom show03 / Behind the curtain
The wonder is visible.
The work is real.
A show is much more than its final few minutes. It is creative collaboration, site planning, coordination, rehearsal, and people making deliberate decisions.
People. Planning. Precision.
Finding the story together.A planning meeting: sharing ideas, listening, and shaping the event.
Explore behind the scenes01Find the story.
We begin with your audience, your occasion, and the moment you want to create. Together, we shape a creative brief around the event—not a preset catalogue of shapes.
02Build the plan.
The venue, viewing areas, flight environment, permissions, timeline, and production needs all matter. Site feasibility comes before promises, and the plan is built around your specific event.
03Choreograph the experience.
Storyboards become formations. Formations become movement. We work through the pacing, transitions, music, and design with you, then bring the creative and operational plans together.
04Bring it to life.
Show-day setup, crew coordination, checks, and weather review precede the performance. The team makes the go/no-go decision based on the actual conditions—then the story takes the stage.
A clear creative direction. A considered production plan.
One team working toward your moment.
04 / From the Pinnacle archive
Behind
the wonder.
The worktables. The crew. The moment the lights lift. A closer look at the people and preparation behind the show.
From the ground to the sky
Cue the
magic.
First, a moment on the ground.
Then the sky takes over.
Watch the launch unfold in this original clip from the field.
Full clip · 37 seconds · Original soundVideo by Dan Clanon
Founder and CEO John Eric Henry initiates the final safety checks and launch sequence for a Pinnacle drone light show.
01 / Before lift-off
Every light, ready.
The aircraft and their lights, prepared on the ground.
02 / In the night sky
Your story takes shape.
A moment from an outdoor performance.
03 / Into the sky
The moment it begins.
The launch setup below. Choreographed light above.
Workshop beginnings, people in the field,
and the show coming to life.
The people behind the light.
Bring your vision to Pinnacle
Real people.
One conversation away.
The Drone Command Postdba Pinnacle Drone Light Shows, USA655 3rd Street #17Oakland CA 94607info@pinnacledronelightshows.com510-480-5529Tell us about your show
A few moments behind the scenes
More from the archive.
Four more short clips.
Select a preview to play.
Choreography on screen.
Working through a formation in the design software.
In the rehearsal room.
Movement and spacing, with dancers and drone lights.
Movement meets light.
Dancers, drone lights, and projection sharing the stage.
Outdoor flight footage
The open sky, in motion.
A short, silent excerpt from the supplied archive.
The featured launch film preserves its original sound. The four previews below the contact panel are silent excerpts; the design-screen clip is a simulation, and the others are recorded footage.
05 / Our story · Oakland, California
Eight years ago,before we could fly the shows,we built the drones ourselves.
We started as early drone-show pioneers in a new and emerging industry. Our first 25 drones were designed and built by us. We called them the Athenians. The aircraft pictured on the colored barstools are part of that original hand-built fleet.
Pinnacle grew from a background in live events and a fascination with a new kind of stage. Our first fleet took shape at the workbench: components, wiring, airframes, control systems, and the patient work of making an idea fly.
That start gave us more than a fleet. It gave us hands-on knowledge of drone technology, the principles of flight, and the safety decisions behind a performance. That understanding still shapes every show we create.
25
Our first fleet. Our own hands.The Athenians · Designed and built by us.
01 / The technology
Aircraft & systems.
Airframes, electronics, lighting, and control systems. Knowledge built through hands-on work.
02 / The flight
Principles into performance.
Understanding how the aircraft behaves informs the movement, choreography, and planning.
03 / The responsibility
Safety in the process.
Site review, separation, preparation, and crew decisions are part of producing the show, not an afterthought.
John Eric Henry
Founder & CEO
Pinnacle Drone Light Shows
In our founder's words
“Drone shows are a solid answer to global concerns about reducing the risk of property and life, increasing the use of clean and renewable energy, and reducing anxiety around loud sounds and explosions. Drone light shows bring solutions to many of the concerns, while still bringing the art and excitement of creating magic in the sky.”The original founder story
An actual story.
Not just our own words.
CBS News Bay Area
Meet the Oakland entrepreneur · 2024
San Francisco Bay Times
The founder interview · February 2024
With thanks / Partners & collaborators
The magic isa shared effort.
To the people, organizations, and partners who help bring Pinnacle shows to life: thank you. Our story is richer because of the people we work alongside.
Oakland Roots
Stanford TAPS
Bay Street Emeryville
City of Oakland
Port of Oakland
City of Emeryville
Jack London
KONO / Koreatown Northgate
Community Arts Stabilization Trust
Kol Emeth
NSM Dance
Guild Retail Partners
The Port Workspaces
OAK Informal Spaces
Base Motion
Drone Studios
SPH Engineering
DAMODA
UVify
Apple
Levi's
DEWALT
Markus Supply / ACE Hardware
With thanks for regulatory coordination.
Agency acknowledgment is separate from our partner recognition and does not imply endorsement of Pinnacle or its services.
Federal Aviation Administration
United States Coast Guard
Holidays, milestones & celebrations
A drone light show
for your occasion.
Start with the moment you want to celebrate. We will explore a custom show around your story, event date, venue, and audience.
Holiday drone light shows
Plan a Fourth of July celebration, a Christmas tree lighting, or a New Year's Eve countdown with a story in the sky. Holiday drone shows can bring a shared finale to a city celebration or winter festival.
For Lunar New Year, Diwali, Hanukkah, Pride, Juneteenth, Halloween, Children's Day, or another community occasion, bring the traditions and ideas you want the performance to reflect. Dates and venues are reviewed individually.
Discuss your holiday show ↗Corporate events & brands
Turn a product launch, grand opening, company anniversary, or brand activation into a custom drone performance. Your colors, approved artwork, and creative brief help shape the choreography.
Choose an outdoor light show or explore an immersive performance for a conference, gala, or awards ceremony. The format starts with what works for your event space.
Explore custom drone shows ↗Weddings, proposals & private celebrations
Create an outdoor wedding drone light show, a drone proposal, or a custom engagement announcement in the night sky. Aerial formations can tell your story through names, dates, symbols, color, and movement.
For indoor receptions and close-range venues, low-flying immersive drones can become part of the performance. We also create anniversary shows, birthday experiences, and drone gender-reveal celebrations, subject to venue and site feasibility.
Plan your private celebration ↗Before the first spark
Good questions.
Clear answers.
You do not need a finished concept to start a conversation. A place, a date, and an idea are enough.
Read the event planner’s guideDo you offer both outdoor and low-flying shows?
Yes. Pinnacle creates large-scale outdoor drone light shows and low-flying immersive performances. The immersive format can be designed for indoor or outdoor settings, subject to the venue, audience layout, and flight plan.
Is every Pinnacle show custom?
Yes. We create each production around your vision, your brand, your audience, and your occasion. No canned shows or repeat productions. In eight years, we have never flown the same show twice.
How much does a drone light show cost?
The scope depends on the creative concept, venue, location, show format, production needs, and number of drones. Share your event and budget range; the next step is a tailored proposal, not a one-size-fits-all number.
Can you tell our story or feature our brand?
That is the starting point. Bring your theme, colors, brand, or creative idea. The design process explores how to make it work as a performance, with approved artwork and the necessary content permissions.
How do we know whether our venue works?
Start with the location and date. The team needs to review the site, airspace or indoor environment, launch area, viewing area, and applicable permissions before confirming feasibility.
How far in advance should we book a drone show?
Start early, especially for a new venue or custom production. Creative development, site review, and permissions take time. Send your proposed date and the team can assess a realistic timeline.
What happens if the weather changes?
Outdoor shows depend on suitable conditions. Weather limits, timing options, and contingency arrangements should be addressed in the event-specific production plan and agreement. A show is not guaranteed to fly in unsuitable conditions.
Can a drone show be an alternative to fireworks?
Drone light shows create images and movement with illuminated aircraft, offering a different approach to a fireworks show for a holiday, wedding, or community event. Compare the creative goals, sound, venue, weather, planning requirements, and total production cost. A drone show still needs a site-specific flight and safety plan; suitability is never automatic.
How do drone shows compare with laser light shows?
Drone shows use lights carried by aircraft to create formations. Laser shows use projected laser light. If you are comparing a New Year's Eve laser show, a fireworks display, and a drone countdown, start with your viewing area and the experience you want to create. Pinnacle's offering here is custom drone light shows and immersive drone performances.
Can you plan a drone light show in San Francisco or San Jose?
Pinnacle is based in Oakland and serves the Bay Area and events across the USA. Start with your venue, date, audience, and budget so we can review feasibility. Explore San Francisco and San Jose drone-show planning.
Can we book a holiday drone show in the Bay Area?
Pinnacle is based in Oakland. Tell us about your San Francisco Bay Area celebration, from a Fourth of July festival to a Christmas tree lighting or New Year's Eve countdown. We review the date, location, audience layout, and production needs before confirming availability and feasibility.
How do we request a drone show quote?
Share your event date, location, audience, preferred show format, and budget range using the inquiry form below. Submit the form to send your details directly to the Pinnacle team so we can start a conversation about a custom proposal.
06 / Create your show
Let's create
your show.
Tell us what you are imagining. We will start with a conversation, not a catalogue.
Pinnacle Drone Light Shows - Star Base
Address
101 Broadway #209
Oakland CA 94607View address on map
Oakland CA 94607View address on map