Around 90 drones plunged into Sydney's Darling Harbour during a Vivid Sydney aerial performance on Monday evening, forcing the cancellation of subsequent shows. The incident, which occurred during the 7.30pm Star-Bound display, saw 83 drones fall into the water at Cockle Bay and six land on a boardwalk. No injuries were reported.
Skymagic, the UK-based operator, attributed the malfunction to an 'unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment after take-off' that compromised the drones' positional accuracy. Head of operations Dyfan Rhys said early indications suggested no foul play, but investigations were ongoing. He noted that the pilot team managed to lock the main fleet stationary in the air, but affected drones hit the geofence boundary and shut down to preserve safety.
As a precaution, four performances scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled while a full technical and safety review is conducted. Karen Jones, chief executive of Destination New South Wales, apologised for the disappointment and inconvenience, adding that Sunday's show depends on the outcome of the assessment. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and is gathering further information.
The drone show, which uses 1,000 purpose-built drones and is billed as Australia's most extensive such event, returned this year after being scrapped in 2023 due to crowd control concerns. A similar incident in Melbourne in 2023 saw over 400 drones fall into the Yarra River during a Matildas-themed display, later attributed to wind conditions.
