Promised a spectacle, delivered too little: Dissecting Hyderabad's drone festival debacle

The Sankranti drone festival at GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium was supposed to be a highlight of the season. Instead, it became a bit of a reality check. While the crowds showed up in droves on Friday and Saturday, many left feeling that the “magic” promised in the teasers didn’t quite land. Between the confusing schedules and the brief performances, the whole event turned into a bit of a conundrum for the thousands who attended.


Long waits, little action

By Friday evening, around 8,000–9,000 people had gathered at the stadium, ready for a grand visual spectacle. What they got instead was a lot of waiting, broken by very brief moments of action. Parul Saxena, who arrived around 5 pm, described the experience saying, “One drone releasing smoke flew for a short while, followed by a few colourful drones and a kite. That was pretty much it.” Padma, who attended with her two children, echoed the disappointment. “We travelled from Secunderabad and reached around 6:30 pm. We stayed till 8:30 pm, but nothing really happened. The children were extremely disappointed,” she said, later realising that it had been a case of miscommunication. For the people, it wasn’t about the money — it was about the time. As Parul put it, “After 4–5 hours, very little had actually happened, especially with so many families and kids waiting.” By the time some realised the show was over, they were still waiting for it to begin.

Mixed response, thinner turnout

Saturday told a different story. The footfall dropped to 4,000 as word spread online, following social media criticism that branded the event a “waste of time and money.” Those who did come waited over an hour before the drone show finally began, featuring formations linked to Telangana landmarks and symbols. Reactions this time were mixed. Vikram, a digital marketer, said, “We liked the show, but it lasted barely 15 minutes. It would have been better with more formations.” Anupama Nerella, a school official from Hayathnagar, felt similarly. “We travelled for more than two hours to watch it. While we were satisfied, it felt too short. It could have gone on longer and included more Telangana symbols like Bathukamma,” she said.

The hype was real

It all started with the teaser video shared by the Telangana Tourism Department. We all saw it: majestic drone trees, birds, Lord Krishna, and the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam lighting up the sky. Captioned “Something magical is rising in Hyderabad. Coming soon,” the post went viral and sent expectations soaring.

Reactions for the attendees:

<p>The two-day event drew large crowds, with an estimated 8,000–9,000 visitors on the first day, before attendance dipped to around 4,000 on the second, when a brief drone showcase highlighted key locations and symbols representing Telangana<br>(Pics by Sanjana Pulugurtha)</p>

“They just had a few drones flying around here and there. People were expecting what was shown in the reels, but all they had were a few drones flying around and some lights on the ground. Many who booked tickets were angry, and some people were free as well. We arrived before seven, waited for over an hour, but the show ended abruptly. We saw people scolding and asking organisers for refunds. Overall, it was disappointing”

— Gokul Krishna, IT professional

I went with high expectations, but the show was nothing like the teaser. Only a few drones flew briefly, with the first proper drone show lasting around 2–3 minutes. There was just a kite flying around, and the same drone displays repeated. After 4–5 hours, very little actually happened, which was frustrating, especially for families with kids

– Parul Saxena, fitness trainer

“The show could have been done better. While we were satisfied overall, the drone display was extremely short—less than 10 minutes. We were initially hesitant to attend due to the poor reviews on the first day. After travelling for an hour and a half and waiting for over an hour, we ended up watching a show that lasted barely six minutes”

— K Vijaya Lakshmi, vice-principal at a school

We travelled for over two hours just to see this show. While we were satisfied, it felt far too short and would have benefited from running longer. The programme could have covered more locations and symbols of Telangana like Bathukamma. The details of the formations were not clearly explained

– Anupama Nerella, a school official

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