The Maha Kumbh Mela is set to begin in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on 13 January 2025. Amidst this, a video showcasing a drone show is going viral on social media (here, here, and here). The post claims that it is from the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: The video shows a drone show at the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
Fact: The video shows the largest aerial display of a gingerbread village, created with 4,981 drones by Sky Elements Drone Shows and UVify in Mansfield, Texas, on 26 November 2024, which is also recognised in the Guinness World Records. Though the Uttar Pradesh government plans a separate drone show with 2,000 drones for the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, this video is not related to the event. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The image of Santa Claus displayed using drones in the viral video initially appeared suspicious in the context of the Kumbh Mela, as it is the largest religious festival of Hinduism.
To verify the claim, we conducted a Google keyword search and found a Hindustan Times report dated 28 December 2024 stating that the Uttar Pradesh government plans a drone show with 2,000 drones, showcasing mythological tales related to the Mahakumbh. The show will illuminate the skies over Sangam Nose during the event’s grand opening and conclusion.
We then conducted a reverse image search of the keyframes from the viral video, which led us to the same video (archived) on FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth’s official YouTube channel. Uploaded on 17 December 2024, the description revealed that 4,981 drones were used to create a record-breaking holiday display over Mansfield, Texas. Guinness confirmed it as the world’s largest aerial display of a gingerbread village made with drones. We also found several news reports covering this incident (here, here, and here)
We found the same video (archived) on the Guinness World Records official YouTube channel, dated 10 December 2024. The video’s description revealed that the largest aerial display of a gingerbread village, created using 4,981 drones, was achieved by Sky Elements Drone Shows and UVify (both USA) in Mansfield, Texas, on 26 November 2024.
We searched for Sky Elements Drone on the internet and found the same video (archived) uploaded to their Instagram account on 06 December 2024, with the caption ‘5,000 drone Santas.’
A comparison of the viral video and the original revealed they are identical, as can be seen below.
To sum up, a video of a drone show in Texas is falsely shared as that of the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh.
