Cover The viral drone wedding proposal over Victoria Harbour in late May 2026 which became the talk of the town in Hong Kong. Shown here is one of the scenes that featured the words “Marry Me”, wrapped by a giant heart (Photo: courtesy of Atopia)
The viral drone wedding proposal over Victoria Harbour in late May 2026 which became the talk of the town in Hong Kong. Shown here is one of the scenes that featured the words “Marry Me”, wrapped by a giant heart (Photo: courtesy of Atopia)
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A viral drone show proposal highlights local art-tech group Artopia’s innovative framework, turning an extravagant public spectacle into a sustainable vehicle for community welfare and student empowerment
Extravagant proposals do happen in real life, with the wealthy and daring pulling off stunts that rival Hollywood scripts. Consider the daredevil Russian couple who scaled the Empire State Building in New York to unfurl a banner promoting the power of love this month, or electronics startup Groove Thing’s CEO Michael Weiss-Malik, who displayed a handwritten proposal note and picture of the couple in outer space this week, setting a new world record for the highest-altitude written marriage proposal in human history. Even celebrities join the theatrical ranks, exemplified by Orlando Bloom popping the question to Katy Perry inside a champagne-filled helicopter in 2019.
In Hong Kong, content creator Amy Lai was expecting nothing of the sort for her own proposal in late May. She was led into a room at the Rosewood hotel by her now-fiancé, which was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and where her close family and friends were waiting. At first, Lai quietly thought to herself how lovely it would be if he chose this moment to pop the question. But when the clock struck 7.30pm, her fiancé suddenly asked everyone in the room to look out of the window toward Victoria Harbour. There, a fleet of 800 synchronised drones ascended into the night sky, illuminating the waterfront with custom-designed visual spectacles. The automated fleet shifted into the shapes of giant red roses, a soaring rocket which is a nod to the lyrics of George Lam’s Canto-pop love song I Need You Every Minute, and a massive heart wrapping the words “Marry Me”. Poetic lines also flickered over the water, reading, “Tonight love writes itself across the sky and into eternity”.
Above Amy Lai (right) and her fiancé at Rosewood Hong Kong, with the drone proposal in the background (Photo: courtesy of Amy Lai)
Amy Lai (right) and her fiancé at Rosewood Hong Kong, with the drone proposal in the background (Photo: courtesy of Amy Lai)
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The display quickly went viral across local social media networks, with crowds of spectators gathering along the harbour waterfront to watch the performance and online comments marvelling at the immense lengths to which the groom had gone to express his romance. After all, a six-figure drone performance is an elite luxury that very few can casually afford.
However, this elaborate display was far from an empty flex of personal wealth. For the groom, who wishes to remain anonymous, choosing local art-tech initiative Artopia as a partner was a deliberate philanthropic decision. Having come across the group’s previous charitable campaigns, he wanted his personal milestone to simultaneously serve as an act of collective joy for the entire city.
“When did Hong Kong last believe in a love story?” the groom says via a text message to Tatler. “In a city often defined by its rapid pace, pressure and pragmatism, this proposal reminded people of something they had almost forgotten: romance. Strangers stopped in their tracks to watch. The online comment sections were filled with messages of joy, hope and celebration. For a brief moment, our city seemed united by a universal love story that was not their own, but somehow belonged to everyone”.
Above The drone proposal, featuring a scene with a soaring rocket (Photo: courtesy of Artopia)
The drone proposal, featuring a scene with a soaring rocket (Photo: courtesy of Artopia)
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Set up by digital firm X Social Group’s founder Samuel Lam and former drone manufacturer Justin Yeung, Artopia was one of the earliest drone collectives to stage large-scale, city-wide public performances across Hong Kong. The group has already executed more than a hundred shows in the city since 2023. Its creative portfolio includes the recent Dragon Boat Festival display at the Wan Chai Promenade and the high-profile drone performance staged for Louis Vuitton’s 2024 Men’s Pre-Fall fashion show outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
Beyond public entertainment and commercial commissions, Artopia has spent the past year developing charity drone shows. This initiative involves digitising the physical drawings of vulnerable children from non-governmental organisations—including Ronald McDonald House Charities Hong Kong and the Hong Chi Association—and transforming them into vivid animations formed by drones in the night sky.
On the same evening of the viral wedding proposal, Artopia flew two charity drone shows at the Hung Hom Waterfront for the Hong Chi Association. The event hosted an audience of over 500 people, including students from six special educational needs schools associated with the non-profit alongside their families. Crucially, the entire operation and production costs of these two community shows were completely covered by the marriage proposal commission fee paid by the anonymous groom.
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Above A child drawing a panda, which will be included in Artopia’s charity drone show projects (Image: courtesy of Artopia)
Above A drawing of animal characters, which will be included in Artopia’s charity drone show projects (Image: courtesy of Artopia)
A child drawing a panda, which will be included in Artopia’s charity drone show projects (Image: courtesy of Artopia)
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“We could only display 12 pieces of student drawings at each of these charity performances due to the limited time and space allocated for each flight,” Lam explains. “But we hope to expand this into a continuous, long-term project. We are actively seeking more corporate sponsors and private individuals like this couple, so that we can continue to uplift more people across the community”.
The initial spark for Artopia’s altruistic vision came from a video detailing a charity initiative at the Ronald McDonald House. Lam was deeply moved by the stories of young children battling cancer and other serious illnesses who were confined to the hospital. One specific image stood out to him: a child’s imaginative drawing of lions and tigers. “Due to their medical conditions, these children could only dream of visiting a local zoo or the safari park at Chimelong Resort,” says Lam.
“That was our eureka moment,” he continues. “Victoria Harbour is effectively Hong Kong’s largest open-air canvas. We realised we could take these children’s dreams, digitise their physical sketches, and project them directly into the sky to give them a tangible sense of hope and pride.”
Above The Hong Chi Association’s children and their family members enjoying the charity drone show by Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University in late May 2026 (Photo: courtesy of Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University)
The Hong Chi Association’s children and their family members enjoying the charity drone show by Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University in late May 2026 (Photo: courtesy of Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University)
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Lam and Yeung note that while the city frequently focuses on how drone technology contributes to the low-altitude economy—a term highlighted in the chief executive’s policy address in 2024 to describe economic activities using drones in airspace below 1,000m—they wanted to push the technology further. These technological tools are often viewed merely as a means to drive development in telecommunications, artificial intelligence and the digital sector. “But what if we look beyond its economic value and focus on its potential for social impact?” Lam asks.
Rather than relying on traditional charity models centred on static monetary donations and passive site visits, Artopia aims to actively empower vulnerable groups. “Traditional philanthropy often labels beneficiaries as passive recipients,” Lam says. “We want these children to become the creators and primary protagonists. By turning their artwork into a major public drone display, they are the ones driving the community support. They earn that recognition through their own unique, artistic talents”. Lam has plans to turn some of these student drawings into protected intellectual properties later this year, allowing the children and their families to manufacture custom products that generate revenue streams.
Above Hong Kong Baptist University’s students turning children’s artwork into a public drone display (Photo: courtesy of Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University)
Hong Kong Baptist University’s students turning children’s artwork into a public drone display (Photo: courtesy of Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University)
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A critical component of Artopia’s operational model is its close partnership with Hong Kong Baptist University. Over the past year, the tech group has collaborated with Ryan Man, the university’s associate dean of undergraduate studies at the School of Business, to embed this initiative within a credit-bearing experiential learning course. Across two consecutive semesters, more than 130 undergraduate students from diverse departments—ranging from business and creative arts to communication—have participated.
These students undergo rigorous operational training and spend weeks volunteering at partner charities. They learn to communicate sensitively with children with special educational needs, guiding them through hands-on art workshops to capture their personal dreams on paper. Artopia’s core design team and the university students then collaboratively transform these physical sketches into digital flight paths for the automated drone fleet.
Above Samuel Lam, the founder of drone show initiative Artopia (Photo: Instagram/@samuel_lam_arttech)
Above Ryan Man, Hong Kong Baptist University’s associate dean of undergraduate studies at the School of Business, who works with Artopia on the recent charity drone shows in Hong Kong (Photo: courtesy of Artopia and Hong Kong Baptist University)
Samuel Lam, the founder of drone show initiative Artopia (Photo: Instagram/@samuel_lam_arttech)
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“Technology shouldn’t be cold and sterile; it can carry human warmth,” Man says. “Chances are, the specific technical know-how the students pick up from this drone project won’t apply directly to their future corporate careers. But it is vital that they are developing deep empathy. They see the tangible social impact when these children and their families watch their creations fly over the harbour and take immense pride in them. It forces our students to think outside established boundaries and understand that corporate social responsibility is about real human connection”.
Looking ahead, Artopia plans to expand this high-tech charity model to tackle new demographic challenges across the region, with an upcoming semester project focused on elderly welfare organisations. “We want our students to engage in deep oral history storytelling, translating the rich, forgotten life triumphs of our older generation into soaring moving images in the night sky,” Lam says. “Ultimately, we want to show that the sky belongs to everyone, and that cutting-edge technology can serve as a bridge for social inclusion”.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
