Huge Manchester drone display to mark seven years of arena bombing that killed 22 Ariana Grande fans called off

nme.com:

Ariana Grande concert – has been called off at the last minute.The event was set to take place tonight (May 22), marking seven years since the terrorist attack took place at the singer’s concert in 2017 and claimed the lives of 22 fans while leaving 59 wounded.Fans were leaving the show when a bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber in a public foyer.

The lone attacker died in the explosion from what is said to be a homemade bomb. The bomber has since been named and ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack.Now, seven years on, Manchester was set to see over 100 drones light up the sky over the city’s Glade of Light Memorial.

It was set to start at 10:19pm and end at 22:31 – the time the bomb was detonated.It has been confirmed today that the tribute will no longer be taking place due to weather concerns.According to weather reports, the Greater Manchester area is among the areas hit by a yellow Met Office alert for rain today and tomorrow, meaning the event is no longer set to go ahead as scheduled.Among those who died at the attack was eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos.

The concept behind the display was brought up by her father, Andrew, with the help of Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.As highlighted by Manchester Evening News, Andrew Roussos had worked with a specialist company to create the display, which he said would be “absolutely beautiful”.“It’s in danger of becoming just another church service and another minute’s silence, which is important, but if you’re not careful, you end up only remembering the attack,” he said (via BBC News).“They were at a music gig, they were all vibrant lively people, a light show is more fitting with their personalities.