Telluride region selected for large drone show during film festival; county says FAA governs airspace

Kira (TTB) told the panel that the Colorado Tourism Office selected the Telluride region to host one of its 250th-anniversary drone shows during the film festival on Thursday, Sept. 3. The producers originally proposed Towne Park but, after meetings with parks and recreation staff, the Idarado mine-tailing property was chosen because it can accommodate the show's footprint and the roughly 500 drones planned.

"They actually selected the time frame for us, which was over film festival because they want to have the highest amount of eyeballs on this event as possible," Kira said.

County staff (S5) clarified regulatory responsibilities: "The county does not have an ordinance regulating drone use in the unincorporated county, only related to our parks," the staffer said, adding that the FAA regulates airspace and that county concerns focus on flight paths over sensitive public trails such as Bridal Veil Trail.

Panel members noted the event will require coordination among the event producers, the Idarado landowner and federal aviation authorities. Kira said scheduling the show for a busy festival weekend was intended to maximize audience reach.

No formal county action was taken in the meeting; staff indicated they will coordinate with parks and the event producers to confirm safety and access details.