Drones over Oppikoppi

Thirst will have nowhere to hide when "beer drones" hit Northam, Limpopo, at the weekend.

Download the app (OppiKoppi) BeerDrone on your smartphone, get in the digital queue and an octacopter will drop your beer in your lap at the Oppikoppi music festival, organiser Carel Hoffmann says.

Sealed plastic containers carried by tiny parachutes will float down to the GPS coordinates gathered from your phone.

"We've already had thousands of downloads of the app," Hoffmann says.

The drone idea is still in a testing phase and this year there won't be any payment for the beverages it dispenses.

In September, the technology will be taken to the US, where the production company of band Mumford and Sons wants to see it in action.