Umi Umi
Drone Light Show
— George Town Waterfront
In November 2025, MIRS Drone Show launched 1,000 drones over George Town, Penang for the grand opening of Umi Umi, Penang's immersive dining theatre experience. Dragon, traditional character, bowing character, pagoda, and glowing UMI text formations lit up the George Town sky as hundreds gathered to witness The Chronicle of Penang begin.
Mission Objective
The Brief
Umi Umi Penang needed a grand opening that matched the ambition of their product: Penang's immersive dining theatre, built around the city's 200-year history. The brief called for a drone show large enough to serve as a public event and a brand statement simultaneously, drawing crowds to George Town and signalling that something genuinely remarkable had arrived.
More Than Marketing
The Chronicle of Penang is not a restaurant. It is a 90-minute live dining theatre experience weaving nine chapters of Penang heritage from the founding of the island to its multicultural rise. MIRS Drone Show designed an aerial performance that mirrored that narrative arc: opening with fire and dragon, moving through heritage silhouettes, and closing with the brand name written across the sky — an outdoor prologue to the story unfolding inside the venue.
Mission Assets
Creative Performance Design
Designing for a City Skyline
George Town's urban density and UNESCO World Heritage district status added planning complexity at every level. The drone show had to read clearly from ground level across a wide audience footprint while respecting the city's low-rise heritage skyline. Formations needed to be large enough to photograph and share but precise enough to honour the cultural themes — dragon, pagoda, text — without visual noise or ambiguity.
Narrative Arc & Camera Strategy
The show opened with a dragon formation drawn in fire-orange light, followed by traditional character and bowing-character formations that extended the cultural storytelling above Penang. A pagoda silhouette then traced the city's heritage skyline before the crowd-facing UMI text reveal and full-fleet finale. Every sequence was built for dual impact: as a live spectacle for the crowd on the ground and as cinematic social content for the Umi Umi launch campaign.
- Dragon choreography Fire-orange dragon formation in full flight, a culturally resonant opener referencing Penang's Chinese heritage and the theatrical drama of The Chronicle of Penang.
- Heritage character sequence Traditional character, bowing-character, pagoda and heritage-building formations expanded the visual story, linking the aerial sequence to Penang's cultural identity and Umi Umi's theatrical concept.
- Brand reveal sequence UMI text built letter by letter across the sky, a crowd-facing brand reveal designed to photograph at scale and dominate social sharing from opening night.
- Camera-optimised finale Every sequence timed for mobile capture from ground level, giving the Umi Umi team cinematic launch content across dragon, character, pagoda, UMI text, and finale formations.
On-Site Execution
Pre-Show Planning
Pre-show planning covered CAAM airspace coordination for the George Town urban zone, ground-level crowd management with the event organiser, drone staging in a secured perimeter near the waterfront, and full systems checks in the hours before showtime. The UNESCO Heritage Zone location required multiple planning rounds to confirm safe operating corridors above the audience and the surrounding heritage buildings.
Day-of Operations
On launch night, the crowd formed a wide arc around the performance zone as dusk settled over George Town. Drone pilots ran a silent pre-launch system check before the first lights went live. The sequence ran from dragon to traditional character and bowing character, then pagoda, UMI text, and finale with each transition landing on cue with the live programme. Crowd reaction — audible across the footage — confirmed the show landed as designed: a street-level spectacle that made Umi Umi's opening night unmissable and widely shared across social media.
1,000 drones. One city. The Chronicle begins.As Referenced In
The Umi Umi Penang grand opening drew attention across Penang and beyond. The 1,000-drone show was documented and shared across multiple platforms, confirming its impact as a landmark event for George Town's cultural calendar.
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Frequently Asked
How many drones were used for the Umi Umi Penang drone show?
The showcase used a fleet of 1,000 drones for the Umi Umi Penang grand opening in George Town, Malaysia. The show featured dragon, traditional-character, bowing-character, heritage-building, and signature UMI text formations.
Where did the Umi Umi Penang drone show take place?
The show was performed over George Town in Penang, Malaysia, near Umi Umi at The Garage on Jalan Penang. Umi Umi Penang is located at The Garage on Jln Penang, George Town.
How long was the Umi Umi drone show?
The show ran for approximately 12 minutes, covering multiple formation sequences from the dragon opener through the character and heritage visuals, the UMI text formation, and a full-fleet finale.
Who organised the drone show for Umi Umi Penang?
MIRS Drone Show organised and executed the full drone light show for the Umi Umi Penang grand opening, including airspace coordination with CAAM, ground logistics, creative choreography, and on-site operations.