Saturday Night Drone Show

Since April 2025, Chongqing has run a regular drone light show over the low-altitude airspace above its “two rivers, four banks” core — the stretch where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet in the heart of the city. Around 5,000 drones assemble into a rotating set of roughly a dozen Chongqing-themed formations, including local landmarks, the city’s camellia flower, the old-growth banyan (huangge) tree, and images referencing the city’s mountainous, riverside character.

Shows run most Saturdays, plus major holidays like Spring Festival, Labour Day, Mid-Autumn, and National Day — around 90 performance days a year in total — and are canceled in poor weather, so it’s worth checking conditions on the day. The three main viewing areas each offer a different angle: Chaotianmen Square gives the widest, most open view, though some text-based formations appear mirrored from this side; Jiangbeizui, particularly the plaza in front of the Chongqing Grand Theatre, offers a good front-on view with more manageable crowds; and Nanbin Road, especially around Changjiahui, tends to be the busiest but is considered the best overall vantage point.

It’s free to watch from any public viewing area, and pairs naturally with an evening at Hongyadong, Chaotianmen, or Nanbin Road, all within the same riverside stretch.