Drone light show, fireworks coming to aquarium to kick off Cruisin’ 2021 in Gulfport
After drones dance in the sky at the summer Olympics in Tokyo, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is getting its first-ever drone light display in October.
The Mississippi Aquarium announced at a press conference Tuesday that a drone light show with fireworks will kick off a weekend of public events in downtown Gulfport at the start of Cruisin’ The Coast 2021.
About 500 drones will light the sky at Jones Park, creating 3D shapes inspired by marine life choreographed to a musical soundtrack, with a finale of fireworks.
It will happen at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, before Cruisin’ The Coast starts from Oct. 3-10.
The event is called Hancock Whitney Sea of Stars and will coincide with the annual aquarium fundraiser, which this year will be a private party from 6-9 p.m. and viewing area for the light show. Sponsor and patron tickets are $150 per person and $250 per couple, must be 21 or older.
For the public, there will be about 20 food trucks starting at 5 p.m. and live music by Rhythm & Rain.
Admission to Jones Park will be free, with everyone encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs.
Hancock Whitney Bank, Gulfport Chamber of Commerce and Gulfport Main Street Association are bringing a weekend of family-friendly events to downtown that weekend:
▪ Friday, Oct. 1: Hancock Whitney Sea of Stars, VIP party fundraiser and public event at Jones Park with live music and 20 food trucks from the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce
▪ Saturday, Oct. 2: Gulfport Main Street Association’s View the Cruise with live music by Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters and opening act Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys
▪ Sunday, Oct. 3: A classic car “cruise,” art displays, music, children’s activities and “some of the city’s best local cuisine.”
“With its commitment to education, conservation, community, and research, Mississippi Aquarium provides an awe-inspiring experience as a major draw for visitors from around the nation and world,” Hancock Whitney Mississippi President Emory Mayfield said Tuesday. “We are very proud to partner with the Aquarium to present ‘Hancock Whitney Sea of Stars’ to help this extraordinary facility continue to tell the incredible stories of Mississippi’s aquatic resources and the amazing wildlife that calls those habitats home.”
The aquarium, which opened on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina last year, has so far had 250,000 visitors despite the coronavirus pandemic, “far exceeding anticipated admission,” the aquarium said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 10:53 AM.
