Walmart to light up the holidays with live drone shows

The skies will be light up with holiday cheer this December when Walmart kicks off its first Holiday Drone Light Show, an all-new family-friendly experience celebrating the holiday season.

In addition to live events at eight venues across the country, Walmart will make the experience available to all customers through a live-stream event.

The Walmart Holiday Drone Light Show is a free and contactless experience that brings holiday songs to life like never before. Thanks to nearly 1,000 Intel drones launched into the night sky, the light show creates three-dimensional seasonal shapes and characters, like snowflakes, reindeer, snowmen and holiday presents, choreographed to a soundtrack of classic and modern holiday favorites, from “Frosty the Snowman” by Bing Crosby to “Run Run Rudolph” by Kelly Clarkson.   (See a video here.)

“After a particularly tough year, we want to help families end the year looking up. We want customers and communities to enjoy a moment of rest, peace and hope,” said William White, chief marketing officer at Walmart. “From our summer movie drive-in to our fall gameday and Halloween experiences, we’ve been finding ways to help families enjoy seasonal traditions in a year when they thought it might not be possible.” 

Related:Walmart reopens Chicago Supercenters with focus on community

The Walmart holiday light show creates three-dimensional seasonal shapes and characters, like snowflakes, reindeer, snowmen and holiday presents, choreographed to a soundtrack of classic and modern holiday favorites.

Eight communities across the country will be able to experience the modern light show live when it arrives in their town. The event offers a fun and safe family night out complete with pre-show entertainment, including music from local DJs and a short holiday special, “DreamWorks Trolls Holiday” before the drones take flight. From Dec. 4-20, the “Walmart Holiday Drone Light Show” will visit: 

• Fri., Dec. 4: Kansas City, Kansas at Kansas Speedway  

• Sat., Dec. 5: Dallas at the Cotton Bowl  

• Wed., Dec. 9: San Antonio at Six Flags Fiesta Texas  

• Thurs., Dec. 10: Doswell, Va., at Kings Dominion  

• Sun., Dec. 13: Phoenix at Phoenix Raceway 

• Wed., Dec. 16: Charlotte, N.C., at Carowinds  

• Fri., Dec. 18: Sacramento, Calif., at Sleep Train Arena  

• Sun., Dec. 20: Fayetteville, Ark., at 112 Drive-In  

Families can visit www.WalmartDroneShow.com starting this week to reserve free tickets to watch the show from the safety of their own car or a designated viewing area right next to their car. When confirmed, families will receive an email with a QR code, which will grant their vehicle entry on the day of the event. Tickets are available while supplies last.  

Walmart will also offer a live broadcast of the light show on Walmart’s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok channels on Sat., Dec. 5 at 7:40 p.m. ET.  

Related:Walmart doubles personal shopper count for holiday season

Earlier this year, the retail giant offered such seasonal contact-free family experiences as drive-in movies at Walmart parking lots, an interactive digital summer camp, Halloween camp and college football-themed tailgate events at Walmart stores in the fall.

For $129 in single-story homes and $199 in two-story homes, Walmart will send professionals to light up houses for the holidays.

Let Walmart do the work

Also for the holiday season, Walmart will be offering Christmas tree and plant delivery this season, as well as installing Christmas lights at customers’ homes. For $129 in single-story homes and $199 in two-story homes, Walmart will send professionals to light up houses for the holidays. Having the lights taken down is $99 for a single-story home and $159 for two-story homes.

To get lights installed, customers simply add Christmas Lights Installation Service to your cart. After checkout, Handy will reach out via email to schedule an installation appointment. Customers need to supply the lights, clips or anchors and extension cords. Once that’s done, a professional will complete the installation.