Hyderabad Drone Festival to showcase races and aerial displays at Gachibowli Stadium on January 16 and 17

Telangana Tourism’s Drone Festival at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad is set to feature a packed schedule of competitive races and aerial displays on Friday and Saturday (January 16 and 17, 2026), including finals and a closing ceremony.

Festival begins at Friday 5.30 p.m.

On Friday, the prime-time segment is expected to be the most visually engaging and competitive. The festival will begin at 5.30 p.m. with Drone Racing Qualifier Rounds, described as seeding races that will determine starting positions for subsequent rounds.

From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., semi-finals of Drone Soccer will be held, a format that combines remote-controlled flight with team-based gameplay. The spotlight will then shift at 7.15 p.m. to the Apex Challenge Drone Race, a high-speed professional contest that organisers say will test pilot skill and precision. The evening will conclude with an RC Plane Airshow featuring aerobatic manoeuvres, said officials from Telangana Tourism Department.

Saturday schedule

The following day, Saturday, will be structured around competitive finals and official engagements. The morning session will host a series of Drone Racing Heats, followed later in the day by a Marathon Drone Race Final.

In the evening, spectators will witness an RC Plane Airshow alongside the Drone Soccer Finals, leading up to the Drone Race Grand Final. The festival will culminate with a closing ceremony and prize distribution, where Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao is expected to present awards to winners, followed by a concluding Drone Show.