Fireworks alternative
No sparks, no fallout, no fire risk, and it works during a burn ban.
A drone light show is the usual substitute when fireworks aren't an option. No sparks, no fallout, no fire risk, so it flies during a burn ban, over dry ground, near livestock, and at venues that won't permit pyrotechnics under any conditions.
What you gain
Precision, mostly. Fireworks can't spell your name, hold a logo, or land a shape on a beat. A drone show does all three, and it does them silently, which matters more than people expect near houses, hospitals and animals. The aircraft are reused, so nothing is consumed and nothing lands on the ground.
What you give up
Concussion. A big shell hits you in the chest, and a drone show doesn't do that. If the bang is the point of your night, we'll tell you so rather than sell you something quieter. Plenty of events run both, pyro for the punch and drones for the part that has to mean something, and we coordinate with pyro teams regularly.
Cost against a pyro budget
Cost scales with fleet size and run time. When you compare, count what a drone show doesn't need: a fallout zone, a fire watch, road closures, and someone sweeping the field in the morning.