CRYSTAL, a designer and producer of spectacular effects and decors for shows and events across the world, has launched its latest innovation, Aqua Drones, on the world’s largest aquatic stage at the Burj Khalifa fountain in Dubai.
This achievement was made possible by Emaar, a pioneer of master-planned communities in Dubai, with creative and executive production leadership from Our Legacy Creations (OLC), a specialist in the creation, production, and operation of meticulously crafted spectacles.
Aqua Drones have been developed over more than two years of research and development, and their launch at Emaar’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dubai marks a milestone in drone-inspired technology adapted to the aquatic environment.
The completely automated, mobile, and programmable water stage can be integrated into a live show to support floating scenic sets, AV equipment, and performers.
Presenting new creative possibilities
The performance showcased the first floating scenic platforms operated using GPS and Wi-Fi, enabling a synchronised choreography of decor, live shows, fountain jets, multimedia, and special effects.
Offering the audience a powerful emotional experience and a visual language never before seen at the Burj Khalifa lagoon, the Aqua Drones transformed the water's surface into a living stage, making it the largest aquatic stage in the world.
This unparalleled production was part of what is considered the most ambitious New Year’s Eve celebration ever staged. With performances over eight consecutive nights, the show reimagined both the role of water in large-scale live entertainment and the use of a lake in an urban setting.
Bringing Aqua Drones to the Burj Khalifa fountain presented both an enormous opportunity and a complex challenge.
As one of the world's most prominent event locations, the site attracts an international audience, with live broadcasts reaching millions more viewers.
A key issue was managing the Aqua Drones’ control network and GPS signals in a very dense environment, saturated with thousands of mobile devices and active communications. Additionally, the system had to operate in an iconic, heavily used public space and share it with numerous water and multimedia technologies.
This was exacerbated by the huge scale of the production that required extremely precise live synchronisation. Eight Aqua Drones were operated simultaneously, with two technical docks for boarding and disembarking, and more than 70 dancers and musicians between the show's different acts.
Living, mobile scenography
The Aqua Drones served as a key scenographic feature of the show and provided structure to the entire 45-minute artistic narrative.
Measuring 50 square metres, the eight Drones were developed to move continuously across the water and serve as mobile stages to host dancers, musicians, and lighting equipment.
The Aqua Drones performed exact, carefully timed movements that allowed performers to be brought in and out of the show for different sequences. Every movement was carefully choreographed, with trajectories, speeds, and positioning programmed to align perfectly with the performance's rhythm and structure.
Each Aqua Drone showcased the host country's cultural identity and visual heritage through unique dune-inspired scenic sets. Featuring integrated lighting, the platforms seamlessly coordinated with all show elements, such as fountains, water screens, jet skis, live water performances, lights, lasers, aerial drones, and pyrotechnics.
This mobile, physical scenography turned the water into a dynamic narrative space. With this new artistic language of movement on water, the unique visual experience realised the OLC teams' creative vision.
For event organisers and LBEs, Aqua Drones offers a new way to design water-based shows, enhancing creative freedom, reducing infrastructure constraints, and increasing operational flexibility.
This first real-world project signifies a key step in the evolution of aquatic shows, unlocking new creative possibilities for large-scale international events, urban celebrations, outdoor aquatic stages, theme parks, permanent installations, live concerts, and cultural or festive waterfront experiences.
By bringing together state-of-the-art technology with artistic creativity, Aqua Drones enables the creation of new experiences on water.
Recently, CRYSTAL collaborated with Drayton Manor, part of the Looping Group, to deliver the UK’s first water, fire and multimedia shows for the Halloween and Christmas seasons.
