Bridge City event features lighted drone show

Saturday night the sky in Bridge City will be filled with a light show never seen before in Southeast Texas as 200 drones in a colorful choreographed flight will help celebrate Independence Day.

The drone show is one of the highlights of the Red, White and You festival sponsored by the city of Bridge City and local businesses. The event will also spotlight local musicians and end with a concert by the popular New Orleans band Bag of Donuts.

The festival will begin Friday evening with the main show on Saturday evening at the city park and community center off West Roundbunch Road. Gates will open both days at 5 p.m.

Lenzi Belcher is a member of the city's "Quality of Life" committee formed to create events to bring families together. The committee with Mayor David Rutledge worked to organize the festivities.

"We came together and made it happen," Belcher said about Red, White and You.

The festival will help celebrate the USA Independence Day a few days later. Belcher said the 13-minute drone show does not have the loud bangs and booms, or smoke, like a fireworks display. It is friendly for people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, particularly war veterans.

Belcher said the drones will fly over the audience in the park area and the show will have music coordinated to the drone patterns. The drone displays will include some that look like traditional fireworks patterns along with patriotic themes like the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, and the Constitution.

Veterans and those in the active military will be admitted to the festival for free. Otherwise, admission for adults and students is $10 each on Saturday. Children enter for free. Tickets will be available at the gate or purchased through a link on PurplePass.com. Belcher said Facebook posts about the celebration include a QR code to use for tickets.

The festival will include an arts and crafts show with vendors set up inside the air-conditioned Bridge City Community Center. Friday night the vendors will be set up from 5 to 9 p.m.

The main events will be Saturday with the gates opening at 5 p.m. Local singer Presley Faulker will sing the Star-Spangled Banner to begin events at 6 p.m. and then local Boy Scouts will present the flags. Bagpipe players will give a salute to the flag.

At 7 p.m., local musician Paige Price will perform from the stage and at 8 p.m., another local band, Chip Darby and Vintage Soul will play.

Belcher said no outside food and drinks, or pets, are allowed. A beer garden will have cold brews and food trucks will offer a variety of eats. The trucks will include Taco Rey with tacos, fajitas and Mexican street corn, LBS with barbecue brisket with macaroni and cheese, Ice Cream Shack with cooling sweets, and Old West Smoke Company.

The playground area at the park will be open for children to play, but the city splash pad will have the water shut off.

The big drone show is set for 9 p.m. The drones will take off from the Little League ball park and travel over the park area where visitors will be. Families should bring blankets or lawn chairs for sitting.

After the drone show, Bag of Donuts will begin their concert at 9:30 p.m. The members of the band dress in colorful make-up and costumes like the rock stars of the 1980s and play a variety of popular songs from that era. The band is the only cover band to be inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Bag of Donuts has a loyal following in Orange County after appearing at a Mardi Gras ball and some other events.

For out-of-town visitors and guests, the La Quinta, and Quality Inn and Suites are offering special Red, White and You rates for overnight stays.