Tennis fans and beachgoers alike are in for a mesmerizing treat on Friday as Tennis Canada kicks off the National Bank Open presented by Rogers with an extraordinary 12-minute drone show. The show will take place between 9 and 10 p.m. and can be enjoyed from Woodbine Park and Woodbine Beach in Toronto.

Using 500 synchronized drones, the night sky will come alive with a captivating display of evolving shapes and animations, all themed around tennis and the National Bank Open.

“With this drone show, the sky is literally becoming a new channel for us, accessible for anybody to watch and a one-of-a-kind experience that tennis fans in Canada have yet to witness,” says Anne Belliveau, a senior VP with Tennis Canada. “With this technology, we are able to bring our sport and our event outside the stadiums, pushing our NBO fan experience to new heights while engaging and entertaining existing and new audiences.”

Unlike traditional fireworks displays, drone shows offer an eco-friendly alternative that achieves the same level of excitement. With only a limited number of drone shows of this scale in Canada, this one promises to be one of the largest in the country.

In addition to the drone show, Tennis Canada is also launching the inaugural Virtual Reality Tennis Tournament and hosting the 407 ETR Family Weekend Aug.5-6 offering families a range of fun and free activities at the tournament grounds at Sobey’s Stadium on the York University campus.

The National Bank Open ATP tennis tournament is running from Aug. 5-13.

“Beyond having great tennis played on the courts, one of our main goals this year is to enhance the fan experience from start to finish,” says Valérie Tétreault, tournament director of the National Bank Open. “This drone show plays an important role in accomplishing that, helping kick off what we are expecting to be a fantastic tournament this year in a special, unique way.”