THE skies of Gibraltar will light up with a spectacular drone display this Thursday as the Rock gathers to celebrate its first National Day since the landmark post-Brexit treaty.
Some 500 drones will put on a synchronised light show above the Bay of Gibraltar, accompanied by music and traditional fireworks.
The display will begin at 10pm and will be launched from the Detached Mole – a location chosen to maximise visibility – with organisers promising an even bigger and more breathtaking show than last year.
The drones will be visible across the bay, with the full spectacle also broadcast live on GBC for those watching from home.
The drone show will cap a full day of National Day activities, celebrating the 59th anniversary of Gibraltar’s first sovereignty referendum in 1967, which saw a remarkable 99.64 per cent of eligible voters back remaining under British sovereignty.
But this year’s celebrations will carry added significance, coming little more than eight weeks since the historic treaty between the UK, Spain and Gibraltar was implemented on July 15.
The long-awaited deal removed routine checks at the border, allowing people to move freely between the Rock and Spain while effectively bringing Gibraltar into the frictionless Schengen travel area.
This year will also be the final National Day celebrations led by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, bringing the curtain down on his 15 years at the helm of Gibraltar.
“This will be the last National Day that I address you as your Chief Minister,” he said in his traditional National Day message.
“I am not going to pretend that it is easy to write those words. I have proudly led this nation for fifteen years.
“Furthermore I reinstated the Casemates events and have stood on the stage in good years and in very hard ones. In every one of those years, the same thing has happened. I have looked out at a square full of red and white and I have remembered why representing you was never a burden.”
He added: “We have outlasted sieges, dictators, closed frontiers and the confident predictions of people who have never set foot here. We will outlast whatever comes next.”
To mark National Day, a cross-party delegation of UK MPs will visit the Rock to see how implementation of the treaty is progressing on the ground.
The group will be led by Amanda Martin, the Labour Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gibraltar, and the two Co-Vice Chairs, the Conservative MP Martin Vickers, and the Liberal Democrats MP Dr Al Pinkerton.
Other activities planned to celebrate the occasion include live music, family activities, a children’s fancy dress competition, a political rally and a rock concert at Casemates Square from 9.15pm.
Sir Peter Isola Avenue will be pedestrianised between 8pm and midnight, with parking prohibited in the area from 6pm.
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