A theme park resort and a huge hotel in central Florida have either stopped using drones or cancelled their drone-based shows after several drones collided and fell from the sky during a separate holiday celebration in downtown Orlando, injuring a boy who required surgery.
Universal Orlando said this week that it was pausing the drone component of its CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular show, while Orlando World Center Marriott posted that it was cancelling its scheduled drone light shows during the holiday week.
The halt follows an accident on Saturday, when drones fell into a crowd of thousands of people watching a holiday show at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. A seven-year-old boy was hit in the chest by a drone and required heart surgery, according to his mother.
The accident is being investigated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Orlando World Center Marriott said other activities for its 12 Days of Seasonal Fun celebration would continue, including visits from Santa Claus, family games and a fireworks show on New Year’s Eve.
The non-drone elements of Universal Orlando’s CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular show, put on at the end of the night, will continue with fireworks, projections and synchronized fountains accompanied by a soundtrack from movies, theme park officials said.
“Guests can still enjoy the show nightly at Universal Studios Florida,” the theme park resort said in a statement.
