At the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, the dazzling visuals weren’t just coming from the contestants. They were also powered by 104 flying lights, created via an innovative payload for drones called the Mini Beam.
The Mini Beam payload is designed to mount on Lucie micro drones from Verity Studios — and they made their debut as an official technical supplier to the world’s most-watched live music event.
Mini Beams are much more than just a light show drone. Whereas light show drones create a speck of light in the sky that — when placed in tandem with other drones creates a distinct formation — these lights are different. These Mini Beams from Verity are moving spotlights. For lighting designers, a moving beam light mounted to the drones unlocks a completely new design vocabulary.
After all, lighting designers now have far more creative freedom in how they’re placed relative to the person or other object they’re trying to shine a light on given that the drone can fly practically anywhere.
Two acts, one bold showcase
More than just a return to their homeland stage, Eurovision served as the first live deployment of Verity’s new Mini Beam payload
The Lucie drones were featured in two standout performances: the second interval act of Semi-Final 1, which paid homage to Céline Dion’s 1988 winning song Ne partez pas sans moi, and the Grand Final’s opening act, where Nemo performed last year’s winning number.
“The drones were used as special effects during both the opening and interval acts,” said Steve Maassen, Technical and Creative Lead at Verity, in an exclusive interview with The Drone Girl. “Across the two performances, a total of 104 Lucie Micro drones were used.”
Oh, and by the way, Verity has a long history with Céline Dion. Back in 2019, they were the team behind the drone show on her world tour. Her encore performance, the song “My Heart Will Go On,” was performed to a background of floating drones.
Eurovision’s fast-paced, high-stakes environment made integration a technical feat.
“To be able to perform at Eurovision, live on such an important stage, you need to have an extremely reliable system,” Maassen said. “Integrating our elements into Eurovision’s fast-changing, complex stage setup while delivering the clean visuals required careful planning to integrate drone deployment and recovery seamlessly, without disrupting the flow of the show.”
Despite the complexity, he said the drones performed flawlessly — and autonomously. Once deployed by hand, the Lucie drones accepted a timecoded show control trigger (much like any sort of drone show), flying in sync throughout the performance.
“A single trigger is enough to keep the drones in perfect sync for the entire flight, allowing for frame-accurate lighting cues,” Maassen said. “Each drone follows a pre-programmed path and returns to its landing area at the end of the choreography, where it can be striked.”
What else to know about the Mini Beam
Each Mini Beam drone weighs 63 grams (2.2 ounces) and can fly for up to four minutes. See them in action here:
“The Mini Beam enables a fully untethered beam light effect that can move freely in 3D space,” Maassen said. “Designers can place beams close to performers, circle them, or create interactions that aren’t possible with traditional rig, even if there is heavy automation involved. Compared to our standard point light effect, the Mini Beam offers a completely different visual language.”
Lighting designers have responded with enthusiasm.
“They’re excited about taking the classical beam light look to the next level by combining it with untethered flight,” Maassen said. “They’re also excited to use the Mini Beams together with the point lights, which allows them to have a bigger palette of effects.”
Eurovision kicks off a new era for Verity
For Verity, a Swiss company known for its autonomous drone shows on global tours and even some cruise ships (yes, Verity has permanent installations aboard Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corporation cruise ships), the partnership is yet another keep step for growth.
“Being selected as a technical supplier for Eurovision is a clear validation of the precision and reliability our Lucie drones bring to live environments,” said Raffaello D’Andrea, Verity’s CEO and co-founder.
Verity has also put on masterful state shows, including a drone routine that for a time played out every night on stage for the Broadway Cirque du Soleil show called “Paramour.” The company also powered the drones used in rapper Drake’s 2018 Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour.
And although the Mini Beam has just launched, Verity is already fielding interest.
“It’s only been a few days, but we’ve already seen an uptick in inquiries,” Maassen said.
With its Eurovision debut behind it and industry attention rapidly growing, Verity’s Lucie drones — now with Mini Beam in tow — are poised to take flight in more venues where imagination meets automation.
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