Despite the headline sounding like an epic April Fool’s Day prank, news about a drone show over the Hudson River is true. A fleet of 1,000 drones will perform a choreographed routine over the Hudson River in celebration of the General Electric Corporation’s new structure. Read on for more about this special event happening in Hudson County on April 1st, 2024.
What We Know
Media reports surfaced in mid-March about a drone show occurring over the Hudson River. But with the date scheduled for April 1st, it was hard to tell if this was the setup for an elaborate prank, or a real event. But, all signs point to the information being real and accurate, and was confirmed by the company to The Hoboken Girl exclusively via email.
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The drone show will celebrate the General Electric Corporation’s history and the creation of a new corporate structure. The company will now have three elements: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE Healthcare.
GE’s corporate headquarters are in New York, but the company has New Jersey roots thanks to one of its co-founders, Thomas Edison. The company was originally called Edison General Electric, and one of its first notable products was the incandescent lightbulb pioneered by Edison. Many of Edison’s discoveries took place at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, which is now a National Park. The facility, which includes the laboratory and Edison’s home at the time, is filled with relics relevant to Edison’s many inventions, and his notable car collection.
How to See It
The fleet of 1,000 drones will take off around 9PM from Weehawken Waterfront Park, located at 1 Imperial Boulevard in Weehawken. The show will last for about thirty minutes. The choreographed performance will tell the story of the General Electric Corporation from its founding in 1889 to the present day. The performance ‘field’ of the drones will be 500 feet long. The show will be visible from both the New Jersey and New York sides of the Hudson River.
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Flying drones along the Hudson River is typically prohibited, given the complex airspace. In fact, flying drones around the Statue of Liberty was expressly prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of the Interior in 2017. The Hoboken Girl has reached out to the FAA to learn more about the approval process for this type of event.
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