At the PGI 2026 convention, drones enhanced the professional firework displays.
Two drone-formed silhouettes, one male and one female, were parted by a heart-shaped firework explosion during PGI 2026.
At PGI 2026, drone display operators backed by Verge Aero teamed up with fireworks experts while online excitement generated unprecedented ticket sales.
The drones have changed everything. It just showed everyone, whatever you can dream, you can actually do now.”— Craig Hetherington, PGI PresidentKAUKAUNA, WI, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Verge Aero, the drone show technology company that powers the globe's largest network of drone show operators, revealed in August that its partner network had returned to the Pyrotechnics Guild International (PGI) convention for a fourth consecutive year, further cementing combined drone-and-firework displays as a staple of the yearly event.
This year's gathering, hosted at the Wisconsin International Speedway, saw a crew of Verge-supported operators fly several hundred illumination drones alongside fireworks for thousands of attendees and PGI members over multiple public show evenings. Precision Fireworks handled the pyrotechnics for the main combined presentation on Saturday, August 8th, while Spirit of '76 Fireworks also co-presented the National Anthem show with drones on Wednesday, August 12th.
A Custom That Grew From a Viral Breakthrough:
Verge Aero first brought drones together with fireworks on the PGI stage in 2023, when a dystopian performance — a robot depicted by drones that “attacked” via firework effects — spread widely online and transformed industry views on what live pyrotechnic entertainment could achieve. Since then, the collaboration has evolved into an annual tradition: a story-driven "Cosmos" show in 2024, the 2,500-drone "Quest" production in 2025, and this year's music-synchronized display.
"The drones have changed everything, including pyromusicals," said Craig Hetherington, PGI
