The drone show held on Astana Day caused public discontent. Sixteen days have passed, but the controversy remains unresolved. The city administration stated that it was unaware of the event. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Information that a drone show would take place on Astana Day had spread widely among residents. However, the event did not meet expectations. On the holiday, residents who hurried to see the show spent hours in traffic jams and came specifically. But the drone show was very short and had an advertising nature.
According to the organizers, since it was a commercial event, it was not included in the official holiday program of the city administration. Also, some viewers and information resources misunderstood the advertising nature of the event.
The Astana city administration stated that it was not informed about the drone show. The department noted that the procedure for holding such events is regulated by the order of the Minister of Internal Affairs on holding sports, mass sports, and entertainment cultural events.
"According to paragraph 5 of the instruction, the organizer of an entertainment cultural event is obliged to send a written notice in the prescribed form, attaching its program, regulations, and script, no later than ten days before the day of the event," the administration reported.
The drone show organizers did not notify the city administration about the event. "In this regard, the Astana city administration did not make any decisions to approve, organize, or hold the said event. No contracts, agreements, memorandums, or other documents were concluded between the administration and the event organizers," the statement said.
The administration emphasized that the drone show was not part of the official program of events dedicated to the celebration of Capital Day and was not organized by the city administration. According to the administration, an investigation into the actions of the drone show organizer is underway.
"During the investigation, it will be examined how the drone show was organized, including whether there were signs of hidden or improper advertising and compliance with advertising legislation. Based on the results of the investigation, an appropriate decision will be made," the Astana city administration said.