I watched a dazzling drone show that lit up the sky over Sussex – my children were mesmerised

A new one-of-a-kind spectacle, WILD: The Drone Light Show, took place at cricket’s 1st Central Ground in Hove on Saturday night – and my family was there to watch.

We’d never been to a stand-alone drone show before. They incorporated drones into a fireworks show we watched on holiday in Spain this summer, but we were interested to see if drones could make a show in their own right.

The answer is, absolutely they can. There is something quite mesmerising and compelling about these little flying machines that swirl around in the night skies to create the most gorgeous 3D images.

It feels like magic, even though my head tells me it’s the work of clever people and clever computer programmes.

Saturday’s show in Hove took place twice, and was attended by thousands of visitors from across the county and beyond who were treated to a 40-minute production that saw drones create vivid depictions of four wild worlds — desert, ocean, arctic, and jungle — synchronised with music.

My children, particularly my seven-year-old son, loved seeing the animals and creatures appear before their eyes and guessing what each one was. It was fascinating to see how quickly the transitions took place and the movements they could make.

It might not have been a Christmas-themed show, but such a gorgeous spectacle was perfect for this festive time of year.

We all couldn’t believe how quickly the show went. We could easily have watched another 20 minutes or more.

“With WILD, we set out to capture the wonder of the natural world and put audiences at the heart of it,” said Dominic Mills, Founder of Yuup. “When we asked our audiences what they most wanted to see in a drone show, the answer was clear: the animal kingdom. That inspired a journey across deserts, oceans, arctic worlds and jungles, brought vividly to life in the night sky — from penguins to polar bears.”

It was a lovely way to spend an evening, and we would totally do it again.

For more information about future performances, see www.wilddroneshow.com & https://feverup.com/m/437446