A swimming dolphin in the sky was among the highlights of Tuesday night’s Independence Day celebration in Redondo Beach.
After canceling its scheduled fireworks show due to new water quality regulations, the city instead turned to a drone show company that put together a 10-minute display featuring 200 drones over Seaside Lagoon.
In addition to the dolphin, a video recorded by Dale Lofgren shows the illuminated drones spelling out “Redondo Beach” and creating a map of the United States and the U.S. flag in the sky.
In late May, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted an order to reduce fireworks debris from falling into bodies of water like the ocean or marinas due to a lawsuit brought by environmental activists.
This prompted some communities to alter their July Fourth celebration plans, including downtown Los Angeles, which also switched to a drone show due to environmental and wildfire concerns.