Sydney’s Vivid Festival lost its sparkle last night when almost 90 drones plummeted into Sydney Harbour, forcing organizers to cancel the show.
Spectators had been watching dozens of colorful drones light up the sky during the 7:30 p.m. show before 89 drones began separating from the group and splashed into the water.
Footage captured the devices as they tumbled out of the night sky and splashed close to the crowd, leaving thousands confused.
Highlights
- Thousands of spectators watched as almost 90 drones fell from the night sky in Sydney and splashed into the water.
- The popular show, Vivid Sydney, features 1,000 drones built specifically for the spectacle.
- Drone operators said no foul play was likely involved, but they are “still investigating all possibilities.”
Image credits: AJEnglish
"The sound of them crashing on the wharf was considerable even from probably 10 to 15 or 20 metres away; you could hear them physically crash and smash onto the cement marina," a Darling Harbour worker named Robert told ABC.
Vivid Sydney was forced to cancel the later 9:30 p.m. show on Monday (May 25), news.com.au reported, as well as the shows scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
No injuries have been reported as a result of the glitch.
Image credits: AJEnglish
Organizers apologized to the thousands of spectators who saw the underwhelming spectacle for the “disappointment and inconvenience” caused.
“The specialist operators identified a technical issue and made the decision to safely discontinue the show in line with standard safety protocols,” a Vivid Sydney spokesperson said.
“Public safety is always the number one priority and a full assessment is now underway with the specialist operators and relevant government agencies advising on next steps.”
Image credits: VividSydney
The next drone show is scheduled for Sunday night, but whether it will take place will depend on the assessment.
Called Star-Bound, the drone show features up to 1,000 purpose-built devices in an aerial display lasting up to 12 minutes, the BBC reported. It is believed to be Australia’s most extensive event of its kind.
The drone operators, SkyMagic, a UK-based company, explained that the glitch was caused by an “unforeseen change” in radio frequency after takeoff.
Image credits: AJEnglish
“This anomaly caused a number of drones in the fleet to enact failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy,” the company stated.
“The pilot team encountering the issue immediately performed a stop command rendering the fleet stationary in the air, enabling time to safely assess the issue.
“Once stability had been evaluated, the team then activated the return to home protocol bringing the unaffected drones to a safe landing.”
Image credits: VividSydney
Dyfan Rhys, Skymagic’s head of operations and production, added on Tuesday (May 26) that they believe there was no foul play involved, but they are “still investigating all possibilities.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau stated that it was gathering information about the incident.
SkyMagic explained that, despite the malfunction, no drones breached the show’s safety boundary.
Image credits: Hugo Northam
Additionally, the company said it had tested the drones, rehearsed the show, and performed pre-flight checks, during which the system “reacted appropriately and safely.”
Vivid Sydney is an annual three-week festival that features large light installations.
Its drone shows debuted as part of the program in 2024. They became so popular that organizers decided not to host any aerial shows last year due to overcrowding concerns.
Image credits: VividSydney
The company started in 2009 and describes itself as the "Southern Hemisphere's largest festival of light, music, ideas, and food.”
Vivid Sydney also features a free 6.5 km (4 mile) walk with 43 light installations that attract thousands of locals and tourists every year.
Spectators watched in disbelief as 89 drones plunged from the night sky during last night’s Vivid Sydney show
The accident did not cause any injuries, partly thanks to an exclusion zone that was specifically designed for the drone show.
This zone ensures that, in the event of a technical failure, the drones either fall into the water or within that designated area.
Last night’s incident comes after more than 400 drones fell from the sky into Melbourne’s Yarra River in 2023 during a light show celebrating the Matildas, Australia’s women’s football team, ahead of the Women’s World Cup.
An investigation found that strong winds had caused the devices to collide with each other and fall.
Divers were sent in to recover them, but they were only able to retrieve 236 out of the 427 drones that entered the water, The Guardian reported.