About 90 drones fell from the sky above Sydney’s Darling Harbour during a Vivid Sydney aerial display, forcing the cancellation of four performances. The incident occurred during the 7.30pm Star-Bound show on Monday, with 83 drones landing in the water at Cockle Bay and six on the boardwalk. No injuries were reported.
Vivid Sydney blamed “unforeseen technical difficulties,” while the UK-based operator Skymagic cited an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off” that compromised the fleet’s positional accuracy. Dyfan Rhys, Skymagic’s head of operations, said early indications showed no foul play, but investigations continue. He added that the pilot team locked the main fleet stationary, but affected drones hit the geofence boundary and shut down to preserve safety.
Four performances on Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled as a precaution while a full technical and safety review is conducted. Karen Jones, chief executive of Destination New South Wales, apologised to spectators and said a full safety assessment is underway. She noted that the next scheduled drone show is for Sunday night, but could not guarantee it would proceed.
Vivid Sydney stated that “public safety and security remain the absolute priority.” Jones told ABC Radio Sydney that safety protocols worked as planned, with an exclusion zone ensuring drones fell into water or within the zone. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and is gathering information.
The Star-Bound show, featuring 1,000 purpose-built drones, is scheduled to run Sunday to Wednesday evenings for the festival’s duration, subject to weather. The drone show was cancelled last year due to crowd control concerns but returned this year as Australia’s “most extensive” such event. In 2023, over 400 drones fell into Melbourne’s Yarra River during a Matildas light show, with wind blamed.
