China stages drone light show for Putin's birthday

A light show was held in China to celebrate Russian President Vladimir Putin's birthday. The event was organized in Guangzhou.

Dozens of drones rose above Guangdong Province to create a light portrait of the Russian leader with the caption "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."

Vladimir Putin celebrates his birthday on October 7. The Kremlin announced that the president would not celebrate the event and would spend the day at work. Putin will attend closed meetings, take part in an international telephone conversation, and hold an informal conversation with leaders of CIS countries.

Activists in Moscow and St. Petersburg held flash mobs for the Russian leader's holiday.

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Drone art (also known as drone display or drone light show) is the use of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), often quadcopters which fly in a coordinated fashion with light fixtures attached. They are usually equipped with multiple LEDs and the display is held at night. The first drone display was presented in 2012 in Linz, Austria; the Ars Electronica Futurelab introduced SPAXELS (short for "space elements") for the first time. The displays are often for entertainment and the drones may use flocking or swarming behaviour. The drones have the capability to produce images. Using the emerging technology, displays have been employed for advertising purposes.Intel has produced the Shooting Star, a type of drone used in light shows. The drones were used during the 2018 Winter Olympics, a Super Bowl halftime show in 2017, and a 2018 Fourth of July celebration.