Vivid Sydney has cancelled its drone shows on Tuesday and Wednesday after approximately 90 drones plummeted into Darling Harbour during a performance on Monday evening. The incident occurred at around 7:30 PM during the Star-Bound aerial display, with 89 drones falling into the water at Cockle Bay. No injuries have been reported.
Technical Difficulties Blamed
Organisers attributed the malfunction to unforeseen technical difficulties. Skymagic, the UK-based operator, stated that an unexpected change in the radio frequency environment after take-off compromised the drones' positional accuracy. Dyfan Rhys, Skymagic's head of operations, confirmed early indications suggest no foul play, though investigations are ongoing.
Safety Measures in Place
Rhys explained that the pilot team locked the main fleet stationary to assess the situation, but affected drones hit the geofence boundary and shut down to preserve safety zones. This resulted in 83 drones landing in the harbour and six on the foreshore boardwalk. He assured the public was never at risk.
Four performances were cancelled as a precaution while operators complete a full technical and safety review. Karen Jones, CEO of Destination New South Wales, apologised for the inconvenience and disappointment. She noted that Sunday's show depends on the assessment outcomes.
Vivid Sydney emphasised that public safety remains the top priority. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and is gathering information. The Star-Bound show, featuring 1,000 purpose-built drones, was scheduled to run throughout the festival but is now under review. Last year, the drone show was scrapped due to crowd control concerns, and in 2023, over 400 drones fell into the Yarra River during a similar event due to wind conditions.
