2,500 Drones Over Dhaka — Crostars Performs for Pohela Boishakh and 50 Years of China-Bangladesh Relations
On the evening of April 14, 2,500 drones rose from the plaza in front of Bangladesh’s National Parliament. The occasion was Pohela Boishakh — the Bengali New Year. It was also the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh. The show was by Crostars.
The event was co-organized by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh. China Arts and Entertainment Group handled production. Over one million people were in the crowd. The display was visible from dozens of kilometers away.
Who Attended the Event
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen attended. So did Faruki, Bangladesh’s Cultural Advisor, and several government advisors. Zheng Xiuquan, Vice General Manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group, was also present.
Also in the crowd were representatives from Chinese companies operating in Bangladesh. Overseas Chinese community members and Confucius Institute teachers attended as well. For a public cultural event, the official turnout from both sides was unusually strong.
What the Drones Drew in the Sky
The show moved through 12 distinct formations. It opened with the water lily — Bangladesh’s national flower — assembled in pink and white above the parliament building.
A Chinese dragon and a Bengal tiger then appeared facing each other. Above them, the words “Long live China Bangladesh Friendship” were written in light. The sequence also included images of local heroes and figures representing rebirth and freedom.
Local performing arts groups danced and played instruments on the ground below. The aerial and the human ran side by side throughout the evening.
How the Crowd Responded
When people learned the show had been produced by a Chinese technology team, the reaction was immediate. The crowd began chanting “China, China.” The moment was filmed and spread across social media that night.
Related hashtags reached the top of local trending lists within hours. Both Chinese and Bangladeshi mainstream media covered the event in full.
Four Months of Preparation
Crostars spent four months preparing this show. The work covered design, formation programming, local coordination, airspace applications, and logistics. Flying 2,500 drones over a foreign capital’s parliament building is not a standard brief. The preparation required is different in kind from a commercial event.
The C5 system that powers Crostars’ international performances runs on in-house flight control software and RTK positioning. Every component was developed by the Crostars team. That in-house stack is what makes performances at this scale possible.
Bangladesh in Crostars’ International Work
This was not Crostars’ first performance outside China. The company has worked in the United States, France, Japan, Oman, and other countries. Each performance abroad follows the same principle. Find the cultural moment that matters in that place. Build the show around it. Execute it cleanly.
One million people gathered in one place. The show carried a specific diplomatic meaning. That combination is not a common brief — and it is the kind of work Crostars has been building toward.
To learn more about Crostars’ global work, or to discuss a project in your region, contact us here.