Almost 90 drones plunged into Sydney Harbour during a light show at the Vivid Sydney festival on Monday night, leading to the cancellation of multiple performances. The incident occurred during the 7.30pm Star-Bound performance, with videos capturing the drones breaking formation and dropping into the water.
Malfunction Cause
Skymagic, the British company operating the display, attributed the malfunction to “an unforeseen change in the radio frequency (RF) environment occurring after take-off.” No injuries were reported, and the CEO of Destination NSW, the government agency that runs Vivid Sydney, confirmed to ABC Radio Sydney that safety systems functioned as intended.
Cancellations and Safety Review
All Star-Bound shows scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings were cancelled to allow for a “full technical and safety review.” The incident has raised questions about the reliability of drone light shows in urban environments.
