By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Coral Gables marked Independence Day and the nation’s 250th anniversary Saturday with a Fourth of July program that added a drone light show to the city’s traditional fireworks display over the Biltmore Hotel.

Families spread blankets and beach chairs across the Biltmore lawn well before nightfall, filling the grounds for an evening of music, food and patriotic spectacle at one of Coral Gables’ signature civic gatherings.

A new tradition takes flight

Just after dark, synchronized drones rose above the Biltmore and arranged themselves against a bank of heavy clouds, spelling out “Coral Gables: The City Beautiful” in blue and white light.

Families on the lawn below held up phones to capture the formation, a new addition to the city’s Fourth of July program and part of Coral Gables’ America250 observances.

The drone show gave way to fireworks over the golf course, with bursts of color lighting the sky as smoke drifted low over the grounds.

Music, food and a full lawn

Earlier in the evening, the Greater Miami Symphonic Band performed from a stage framed by a large American flag, with the Biltmore’s tower rising behind it.

Food trucks lined the grounds nearby, including Tiago’s Tacos, a coffee truck and Ema’s Flan, drawing steady lines through the early evening as Coral Gables police officers and city staff worked the crowd.

In the days before the celebration, Fred Couceyro, director of the city’s Community Recreation Department, said the combination of music, fireworks and the new drone display would make this year’s event “one to remember” as the city marked the country’s 250th year at the Biltmore.

Part of a citywide slate

The Biltmore celebration was the marquee event in a day of Fourth of July programming across Coral Gables. Other events included a sensory-friendly viewing option at Ruth Bryan Owen Waterway Park, a midday screening of Jaws at Coral Gables Art Cinema and a Coral Gables Woman’s Club fundraiser at Birdie Bistro featuring live jazz.

For a city built around pageantry and public spaces, the evening offered a familiar Fourth of July scene with a new element overhead: drones forming the city’s name before fireworks closed the night.