The large-scale drone show announced in Astana caused discontent among viewers after a significant portion of the performance turned out to be dedicated to advertising a concert by Enrique Iglesias. Many residents of the capital had expected a festive light show featuring city symbols, but instead saw a commercial presentation, which became a subject of widespread discussion on social media.
As the organisers stated after the event, the show was not part of the official programme for the Capital City Day celebrations and was conducted as a separate commercial project.
WHAT WAS PROMISED IN THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Before the event, announcements were circulated on social media and in several media outlets stating that a "large-scale drone show" would take place in the capital on 5 July. The publications reported that after sunset, hundreds of drones would create light compositions and symbols of Astana in the sky, and the performance itself was described as "one of the most spectacular events of this summer".
Viewers were invited to gather on the embankment near the Atyrau Bridge, with recommendations to arrive early to secure the best spots.
However, the published announcements did not mention that the event was of an advertising nature or dedicated to promoting a concert by Enrique Iglesias.
WHY DISCONTENT AROSE
During the show, the logo of Freedom Ticketon and an advert for the Spanish singer's concert appeared in the sky. It was this part of the programme that provoked the most active reaction from viewers.
On social media, users wrote that they had come to see a festive show but instead saw advertising. Some described what happened as "five minutes of advertising instead of a celebration", while others noted that they had expected a performance dedicated to the capital, as that was how they understood the pre-published announcements.
WHAT THE ORGANISERS RESPONDED
Following the criticism, the director of the company Aspan Galaxy, Symbat Serik, stated that he understood the viewers' disappointment and apologised to everyone who was upset by the situation.
According to him, the drone show was a private commercial event and was not part of the official programme for the Capital City Day celebrations. He also noted that, according to the company, such information was not published by either the akimat or the organiser themselves.
At Aspan Galaxy, they claimed that information about the advertising nature of the event was sent to the media in advance. However, according to the company, some outlets presented the show as an element of the festive programme, which led viewers to form expectations that the event did not meet.
The organiser also emphasised that neither the akimat of Astana nor Freedom Ticketon were organisers of the drone show.
HOW FREEDOM TICKETON COMMENTED ON THE SITUATION
As reported by "Kursiv", Freedom Ticketon stated that the company is the ticket operator for Enrique Iglesias concerts, but not the organiser of the drone show.
The company also stated that it had taken public reaction into account and intends to discuss the format of similar projects with partners in the future.
WHY THIS STORY GARNERED WIDE ATTENTION
The main reason for the public discussion was the discrepancy between viewers' expectations and the actual content of the event. The announcements published before the show described a large-scale light performance involving hundreds of drones and symbols of the capital, but contained no information that a significant part of the programme would be dedicated to advertising a concert.
It was this contrast that became the main topic of discussion after the event concluded.
