America's 250th Anniversary Drone Show

The Town of Glastonbury, Connecticut Parks and Recreation Department is soliciting bids for a drone light show service to commemorate America's 250th Anniversary at Riverfront Park on September 26, 2026 (with a rain date of September 27, 2026). This Invitation to Bid (ITB GL-2026-19) seeks qualified vendors capable of designing, choreographing, and performing a 15-20 minute drone light show scheduled to commence at approximately 7:15 p.m. at 252 Welles Street, Glastonbury, Connecticut. Qualified bidders must demonstrate substantial prior experience with drone light shows for municipal clients, possess all required FAA approvals and federal, state, and local licenses and permits, maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Drone Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence), and Aviation Liability ($5,000,000 per occurrence), and provide three municipal references from the past three years. The vendor must submit comprehensive proposals electronically through the Bonfire Hub e-procurement portal (https://glastonburyct.bonfirehub.com/) by March 12, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. EST, including company profile, cost breakdown, safety protocols, drone specifications, and licensing documentation. Critical milestones include a mandatory site walk-through two days prior to the event, Town approval of drone show design and choreography by July 26, 2026, final music selection approval by September 17, 2026, and equipment setup completion by 1:30 p.m. on the event date. All bid prices must be all-inclusive of drones, licenses, permits, staff, vehicles, setup, teardown, storage, and equipment, with payment terms set at Net 30 following show completion.

The Town of Glastonbury has not designated any set-aside provisions or restrictions limiting bidder eligibility based on organization type or disadvantaged enterprise status, indicating this is an open competition available to all qualified vendors. No incumbent vendor or current contractor has been identified in the solicitation documents. The procurement is contingent upon successful fundraising, and the Town reserves the right to negotiate a modified or smaller-scale presentation, waive informalities and defects, reject any or all bids, or terminate the contract if available funding proves insufficient. No estimated budget or award value range has been publicly disclosed in the solicitation materials. All vendor operations must comply with FAA Part 107 regulations, and the vendor assumes full responsibility for facility damage repairs, grounds restoration, and legal debris disposal at its own expense. Interested parties should direct inquiries to Nicole Melquist, Procurement Officer, Town of Glastonbury, at 860-652-7588 or Nicole.Melquist@glastonbury-ct.gov.