Telangana Tourism Drone Day lights up Gachibowli with races, airshows
HYDERABAD: Telangana Tourism’s Drone Day at Gachibowli Stadium features high-intensity drone races and aerial displays from 5.00 pm on January 16, with organisers flagging the evening sessions as the most visually engaging for broadcast and digital coverage.
The prime-time lineup begins with drone racing qualifier rounds (seeding races) from 5.30 pm to 6.00 pm, followed by drone soccer semi-finals between 6.00 pm and 6.30 pm. The Apex Challenge Drone Race, a high-speed professional contest, is scheduled from 7.15 pm to 7.45 pm. The evening concludes with an RC plane airshow featuring aerobatic aircraft from 7.45 pm to 8.30 pm.
Organisers said these formats combine competitive racing with strong visual appeal, making them suitable for evening news and social media coverage.
Finals, minister visit and awards on January 17
The second day on January 17 opens with drone racing heats Race 1 to Race 13 from 10.00 am to 12.30 pm. The finals phase begins in the evening, when Jupally Krishna Rao, Telangana’s tourism minister, is expected to visit the venue between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm.
The marathon drone race finals will run from 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm, followed by the RC plane airshow and drone soccer finals between 7.00 pm and 8.00 pm. The Drone Race Grand Final (Race 14) is scheduled from 8.00 pm to 8.30 pm.
The closing ceremony and prize distribution will follow from 8.30 pm onwards, with the minister presenting awards to winners. The event will conclude with a drone show. Media teams have been advised to plan coverage between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm to capture official moments.
Organisers said additional inputs, including pilot interactions and access coordination, will be facilitated on request.
