BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has sought to be an entertainment option as well as a shopping venue during the pandemic, hosting drive-in movies and other events at its stores. The retailer is keeping that effort moving next month with a traveling holiday light show that using a fleet of drones to create an animated visual spectacle in the sky.

The “Walmart Holiday Drone Light Show,” described as a “free and contactless experience,” will appear at eight venues in December, and will be available throughout the country through a special live-streamed event. The show uses nearly 1,000 drones that will take off into the night sky, flying in formation and flashing their lights to create three-dimensional seasonal shapes and characters, like snowflakes, reindeer, snowmen and holiday presents. Classic and modern holiday music favorites, from Frosty the Snowman by Bing Crosby to Run Run Rudolph by Kelly Clarkson, will provide the soundtrack to the aerial display.

“After a particularly tough year, we want to help families end the year looking up. We want customers and communities to enjoy a moment of rest, peace and hope,” William White, chief marketing officer at Walmart, said. “From our summer movie drive-in to our Fall gameday and Halloween experiences, we’ve been finding ways to help families enjoy seasonal traditions in a year when they thought it might not be possible.”

The show will stop at eight communities across the country in December:

• Kansas City, Kansas (Kansas Speedway) on Friday, December 4.
• Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl) on Saturday, December 5.
• San Antonio, Texas (Six Flags Fiesta Texas) on Wednesday, December 9.
• Doswell, Virginia (Kings Dominion) on Thursday, December 10.
• Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Raceway) on Sunday, December 13.
• Charlotte, North Carolina (Carowinds) on Wednesday, December 16.
• Sacramento, California (Sleep Train Arena) on Friday, December 18.
• Fayetteville, Arkansas (112 Drive-In) on Sunday, December 20.

Families in those communities can visit www.WalmartDroneShow.com to reserve free tickets to watch the show from the safety of their own car or a designated viewing area right next to their car. When confirmed, families will receive an email with a QR code, which will grant their vehicle entry on the day of the event. Tickets are available while supplies last.

The “Walmart Holiday Drone Light Show” will also be broadcast live Walmart’s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok channels on Saturday, December 5, at 7:40 p.m. ET.

The light show will be powered by Intel’s drone light show technology, which uses each drone serves as a pixel of light to create three-dimensional animations.