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Distribution of 89 Fallen Drones
Location of drone landings following the technical failure at Vivid Sydney.
Primary Sources
Vivid Sydney cancels shows after 89 drones plunge into Darling Harbour ...
About 90 drones plummeted from the sky and plunged into Sydney’s Darling Harbour during an aerial drone show, prompting a second Vivid event to be cancelled.Vivid Sydney said “unforeseen technical difficulties” occurred during Monday’s 7.30pm performance, called Star-Bound, resulting in 89 drones falling into the water at Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. No injuries have been reported.Skymagic, the UK-based operator of the drone show, said in a statement that an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off” compromised the positional accuracy of the fleet.“Early indications show there was no foul play present, but we are still investigating all possibilities,” Dyfan Rhys, Skymagic’s head of operations and production, elaborated on Tuesday.Rhys said despite the dramatic images circulating on social media, the public was not at risk.While the pilot team managed to lock the main fleet stationary in the air to evaluate the situation, the drones experiencing issues encountered the geofence boundary.“[They] shut down to preserve the safety zone,” he said, resulting in 83 falling into the harbour and six landing on the foreshore boardwalk .Four performances have been cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution while operators complete a full technical and safety review.The chief executive of Destination New South Wales, Karen Jones, issued an apology to the thousands of spectators who had gathered around the waterfront to watch the show.“We apologise for the disappointment, and also for inconvenience caused to all attendees,” she said, adding that a full safety assessment was being undertaken as a precaution.“The next program to do the drone show is for Sunday night,” she said, “I can’t guarantee that that will go ahead. It does depend on the outcomes of this assessment.”Drone show returns to Vivid Sydney 2026 – videoVivid said in a statement Monday night that “public safety and security remain the absolute priority”.“We apologise for the disappointment and thank everyone for their patience and understanding,” Vivid’s statement said.The chief executive of Destination NSW, Karen Jones, told ABC Radio Sydney while it was “incredibly upsetting” the shows had been cancelled, safety protocols worked as planned.“There was an exclusion zone that was specifically designed for the drone show and it did mean that if there was a technical failure – which there was last night – it meant that the drones either fell into the water or with...
Vivid show cancelled after drones plunge into Sydney Harbour
Vivid Sydney’s drone show has been suspended indefinitely after dozens of drones fell from the sky during a performance at Darling Harbour, prompting multiple cancellations and an investigation. Organisers confirmed Monday night’s 7.30pm “Star-Bound” show was halted due to “unforeseen technical difficulties”, with the later 9.30pm performance also cancelled. Tuesday and Wednesday’s shows have since been scrapped while authorities assess the incident. “We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees,” a Vivid Sydney spokesperson said. “The specialist operators identified a technical issue and made the decision to safely discontinue the show in line with standard safety protocols.” Drone operator SKYMAGIC said 89 drones fell into the water after an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency (RF) environment” disrupted the system and triggered automatic failsafe landings. “The pilot team encountering the issue immediately performed a stop command rendering the fleet stationary in the air,” the company said. SKYMAGIC insisted “no vehicle escaped the safety boundary” and said all safety procedures were followed. However, Darling Harbour employee Robert told ABC Local Radio the incident appeared to be a “catastrophic failure”. “Drones can go wrong, but for them to severely go haywire … was a big concern,” he said. “They kept falling, including, from reports, entering the crowd, as well as I witnessed myself, crashing into the marina and almost hitting some marina workers.” Authorities are now assessing whether drone shows scheduled from May 31 onwards will proceed. This year’s Vivid Sydney program featured its biggest drone schedule to date, with 22 performances planned across 11 nights. Vivid Sydney have also confirmed that a press conference will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art later today to provide an update on the show and technical issues behind the incident. Images: Instagram Tags: Technology, Vivid Sydney
Vivid Sydney Cancels Shows After 89 Drones Plummet Into Darling Harbour ...
The festival's Star-Bound drone show was abruptly cancelled during Monday night's 7.30pm session after attendees noticed drones appearing to fall from the sky mid-performance, with clips and reactions quickly spreading across social media.
89 drones fall into Sydney Harbour during Vivid drone show - YouTube
Vivid Sydney festival's drone show has been cancelled for now after a technical malfunction saw drones fall from the sky, in what one eyewitness described as a "catastrophic failure".
