Galveston, TX Live Event and Concert Drones

Live event drones in Galveston

This page is for event producers, promoters and venues planning a live event in Galveston. We fly concerts, festivals, parades, arena shows, races and brand activations, with drone feeds sent live to screens, the stream or a broadcast truck, plus fast edits for social. For homes, tourism and general aerials see our Galveston, TX drone videographer page.

Resorts, beaches and the Strand

Our crew flies EDC Las Vegas as a three-pilot drone team, with over-the-crowd drones fed into the Hulu live stream. The Seawall, the Strand, Moody Gardens, the Pleasure Pier and the island's hotels suit event aerials, filmed with the property's or organizer's approval. For concerts and festivals we film recaps, and for larger shows we send live drone feeds to the stream or screens. See Live drone feeds for video boards and Concert and festival FPV drones across the US.

Festivals and city rules

Texas bars cities and counties from regulating drones except during permitted special events, for their own drone use, or near their own facilities with FAA approval, so we check festival and parade rules with the organizer and the city. Texas state parks allow drones only in a designated area at Martin Dies, Jr. State Park or with a filming permit from the park, so we apply well ahead of any state park shoot. Flying directly over an open crowd is only allowed when the drone and the operation meet FAA rules for flying over people, so otherwise we keep flight paths over the stage, closed areas and open lanes. Fully enclosed indoor flights are generally outside FAA airspace rules, so we fly one-take fly-throughs with the owner's approval; see indoor fly-through tours.

The port, federal sites and airspace

The Port of Galveston and its cruise terminals fall under state law. Texas Government Code chapter 423 makes it an offense to fly at or below 400 feet over a fenced or posted critical infrastructure facility, such as a refinery, chemical plant, power plant or substation, water plant, LNG terminal, port or rail yard, unless an exception applies, such as the operator's prior written consent. The federal appeals court upheld these rules in 2024 and the Supreme Court declined to review them, so they are in force, and we get written consent or keep those sites out of the shot. A Marine Forces Reserve site in Galveston County is a federal no-drone area, and Ellington Joint Reserve Base, on the way to Houston, is one too. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake needs NASA's approval before any flight. Scholes International at Galveston, about 3 miles southwest of downtown, has a control tower and controlled airspace. We check every Galveston location on the FAA sectional, B4UFLY and NOTAMs before quoting, and file LAANC or FAA authorization for any address that needs it.

Credits

EDC Las Vegas live on Hulu, Charleston hotel fly-throughs for Vive Media and Science Channel's Impossible Engineering aerials of the Jenga building in Austin.

Related

Galveston, TX drone videographer | Houston, TX live event drones | Austin, TX live event drones | San Antonio, TX live event drones | Live drone feeds for video boards | Concert and festival FPV drones across the US | Augusta drone videography (headquarters) | Lynchburg, VA drone videography (second location) | Live broadcast drones | Concert and festival drones | All locations

Nearby cities we fly

College Station, TX live event drones | Corpus Christi, TX live event drones | Dallas, TX live event drones | Arlington, TX live event drones | Fort Worth, TX live event drones | Plano, TX live event drones

FAQs

Can you film the cruise terminals and port?

Only from a legal position. Ports count as critical infrastructure under Texas law, so we get the operator's prior written consent before flying at or below 400 feet over them.

Can a Texas city set drone rules for a festival?

Yes, for permitted special events. Otherwise state law bars cities and counties from regulating drones, so we check event rules with the organizer and the city.

Do you need FAA approval to fly in Galveston?

It depends on the address. Scholes International has a control tower and controlled airspace. We check every location on the FAA sectional and B4UFLY before quoting and file LAANC where it is needed.

Can you send a live drone feed to screens or a stream?

Yes. We send live drone video to LED screens, the livestream or a broadcast truck, and agree the format and cue points with your production team before show day.

What insurance do you carry?

Our standard policy is $10M liability, with optional coverage up to $25M when a venue, league or network requires it. Certificates naming your venue or production are issued before the shoot.

Request a Quote

Tell us the date, location and what you need filmed. Request a Quote or call 706-284-8364.