Fake NYE drone celebration?

Shanghai’s New Year’s Eve drone show spectacular didn’t actually happen
What a way to kick off 2020!
by Alex Linder January 2, 2020 in News



Ever since 36 people were killed on the Bund as 2014 became 2015, New Year’s Eve festivities in Shanghai have been rather subdued.

Which is why we were rather surprised to see videos circulating around on Twitter of an apparent NYE light show spectacular on the Bund featuring nearly 2,000 drones. Those drones “took over the night sky” forming various shapes and patterns including a “running man” and a countdown clock right beside the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Video of the show has been shared by Chinese media outlets as well as international ones, including even the New York Times, impressing people around the globe with the innovative replacement to air pollution-causing fireworks.



The New York Times
✔
@nytimes
In Shanghai, revelers welcomed in the new year with a drone display forming various shapes and patterns against the night sky over the Huangpu River https://nyti.ms/2QAiW8R

Embedded video
34K
3:40 PM - Dec 31, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
12.1K people are talking about this
However, there’s just one problem. People who were on the Bund on the night of New Year’s Eve say they didn’t see anything in the night sky. No drones. No nothing.

Patrick Cox
@PatrickCoxII
This blows my mind because it’s 100% Chinese fake news. We stood outside last night for a show that never happened lol

Shanghai Welcomes 2020 With Spectacular Drone Light Show https://youtu.be/UKnt_6I0m3s via @YouTube

YouTube ‎@YouTube

7
8:11 PM - Dec 31, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See Patrick Cox's other Tweets
Abraham Pérez🇪🇸
@AbrahamPrez25
Replying to @pajolicoe and 2 others
I was in the Bund on New Years Eve right in that time and nothing happened. All the drones display is fake.

1
6:27 AM - Jan 1, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
See Abraham Pérez🇪🇸's other Tweets
A Reddit thread has been opened on the Shanghai subforum discussing this mysterious issue. One commenter points to a YouTube video that purportedly captured the New Year’s Eve festivities on the Bund.

In the video, a large crowd gathers on the Bund to watch with their cell phone cameras at ready as the clock strikes midnight. Observers get a bit excited as the lights go out in the Pudong skyscrapers… but are disappointed when those lights simply go back on a few seconds later with nothing actually happening.
continued next post