They braved the cold Saturday evening in their thousands to witness something special.
The Matariki Drone Light Show featured a fleet of 201 drones gracing the sky over Logan Park, "painting" a variety of shapes.
Among the shapes that emerged were the Matariki star formation, an albatross, a kererū, an eel, a rainbow and a marae, which attracted "oohs and aahs" and even applause from the crowd.
Teacher and group leader Mac Te Ngahue said the group had been practising for three months for the event, which was "really special".
"I can’t stress how important this evening was," he said.
Among them was Dunedin resident Brent Caldwell.
"I thought it was just tremendous," he said.
"It’s a bit of a first for New Zealand, and the organisers should be congratulated for how seamless everything was."
"You could hear all the children and their parents expressing their excitement."
Matariki, the Maori new year, was a time for reflection, he said.
"It’s the hope that spring is coming."
"That drone show was pretty spectacular. It was cool bringing the family along."
Colin and Nola Brown, of Mosgiel, said they enjoyed the chance to see something they had only heard about.
The event was organised by the New Zealand International Science Festival (NZISF) and Drone Sky Shows New Zealand.
"It was quite something seeing it all come to fruition.
"To be standing in a field with thousands of other people, watching the drones do their thing, was pretty spectacular.
"To listen to people, especially the children, as they began to recognise the images, was also really special."
The previous largest drone show had 200 drones, and was held in the FMG Stadium Waikato, in Hamilton, in March this year.
