A spectacular light show at Sydney's Darling Harbour turned into a scene of chaos as nearly 90 drones suddenly fell from the sky, plunging into the harbour and boardwalk. The incident occurred on Monday evening during the annual Vivid Sydney festival, leaving stunned bystanders watching as the drones malfunctioned mid-performance.
Technical Glitch Blamed
Skymagic, the British company responsible for the drone display, attributed the failure to a change in radio frequency. A spokesperson confirmed that 89 drones landed in the water around Cockle Bay, with 83 falling into the harbour and six landing on the boardwalk. The company assured that none of the drones breached safety parameters.
Darling Harbour employee Robert described the sound of the crash to ABC, stating, "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."
Festival Cancellations
Organisers of the Vivid Sydney festival cited "unforeseen technical difficulties" for the malfunction and have since cancelled several upcoming drone shows scheduled during the three-week event. Karen Jones, chief executive of Destination New South Wales, apologised for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees. She noted that the next planned drone show for Sunday night may not proceed pending a full assessment.
The Star-Bound drone show involved 1,000 drones and was intended to last over 12 minutes. Vivid Sydney first introduced drone shows in 2024, drawing large crowds, but last year opted against them due to overcrowding concerns.
A full investigation by Skymagic and government agencies is underway before any further shows are approved.
