A drone show featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which had been due to take place in Royal Victoria Park on 22nd November, has been postponed for a year following safety concerns, leaving some unhappy customers struggling to get a refund.
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Bath & North East Somerset Council announced on 28th October that it would not be permitting the organisers to hire part of the park that day.
The show, which features a swarm of 600 LED drones, is scheduled at other venues in the country in the run-up to Christmas.
B&NES Council’s Director of Place Management Chris Major accepted the collective recommendation of the council’s Safety Advisory Group for Events (SAGE).
Following “detailed scrutiny” significant concerns were raised about the event’s safety, documentation, and operational readiness, which included:
- Incomplete or missing major incident and counter-terrorism plans.
- Insufficient medical cover and lack of a submitted medical risk assessment.
- Licensing and permitting issues, including the absence of required applications and consultation timelines.
- Poor communication and repeated administrative oversights by the organisers.
- Environmental risks to the site and impractical contingency arrangements.
Last week, organisers Lumina Drones told the Echo that they had been working closely with the council on rescheduling the show and had successfully operated numerous large-scale drone events, safely managing crowds of up to 12,000 guests.
“Unfortunately, on this occasion, additional safety planning was needed due to site restrictions, and as a result, our planning documents were submitted outside of the council’s required timeline. This did not allow sufficient time for review, and therefore the show has been rescheduled.”
But the organisers have been unable to sort a new date this year, and the event has now been postponed until 21st November 2026, prompting reaction on social media.
One dissatisfied customer said: “I’ve received an email saying it’s been postponed until November 2026.
“I want a refund … they are ignoring my emails.”
Other comments included: “I didn’t see any mention of a refund in the email, only tickets transferred and offer of free tickets to another event. I have read that another event was changed from a weekend evening to a weeknight.”
This week a spokesperson for Lumina Drones told the Bath Echo: “Our Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Drone Light Show, due to take place at Royal Victoria Park in Bath on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, has been rescheduled to Saturday, 21st November 2026.
“We have been in communication with all ticket-holders regarding this change.
“Bath & North East Somerset Council were unable to grant our request for a rescheduled date this year. This was to protect the park during the wettest part of the year.
“Royal Victoria Park is an important heritage park, and as responsible event organisers, we are also concerned with its care, upkeep, and long-term well-being.
“Therefore, in consultation with the council, we confirmed a rescheduled date for November next year.
“We informed customers that their tickets remain valid for the rescheduled date. In addition, and to apologise for any inconvenience, for every ticket customers bought to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, we also offered a free ticket to any of our spectacular, family-friendly drone shows in 2025 or 2026.
“This includes our Space Safari drone show, narrated by Michaela Strachan at Bath & West Showground on 14th March 2026. Our full event calendar can be viewed at https://luminadrones.com/sky-theatre.
“We remain incredibly grateful for the patience and support of our ticket-holders. We are working through a large number of email replies and will respond to every message as quickly as possible.
“Refunds are not automatic as this event is rescheduled, not cancelled, but at no point have we suggested that refunds are unavailable.
“The majority of ticket-holders have accepted our offer of additional free tickets.
“However, we understand that this offer may not be suitable for everyone, and we are in direct communication with customers to resolve all refund requests.”
