Nearly 90 drones crash into Sydney Harbour during Vivid light show after radio frequency glitch
A technical malfunction caused 89 drones to fall into the water at Darling Harbour during a Vivid Sydney light show, leading to the cancellation of subsequent performances.
What happened
A spectacular drone light show turned into a dramatic failure on Monday evening when 89 drones plunged into the water at Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. The performance, part of the Vivid Sydney festival, was interrupted by what organisers described as "unforeseen technical difficulties." The operator, UK-based company Skymagic, attributed the incident to an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment after take-off, which compromised the drones' positional accuracy and triggered failsafe landing procedures.
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.
Immediate response
Following the incident, the 9:30pm performance on Monday was cancelled on the advice of specialist operators. Festival organisers subsequently cancelled all four performances scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution, pending a full technical and safety review. Skymagic and government agencies will conduct a comprehensive assessment before any decision is made on the remaining schedule of shows.
We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees.
Safety protocols
Despite the dramatic scenes, no injuries were reported. Skymagic confirmed that none of the drones left the designated safety boundary. The pilot team immediately executed a stop command, rendering the fleet stationary in the air to assess the situation. Once stability was evaluated, they activated a return-to-home protocol for the unaffected drones. Some vehicles that encountered the geofence boundary during the emergency landing phase shut down and fell into the water to preserve the safety zone.
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 within that exclusion zone.
The festival
Vivid Sydney, which began in 2009, bills itself as the Southern Hemisphere's largest festival of light, music, ideas and food. The event features a free 6.5km walk with 43 light installations and attracts thousands of locals and tourists to locations around Sydney Harbour and central Sydney, including projections onto the Sydney Opera House. The drone show, called Star-Bound, features up to 1,000 purpose-built drones in an aerial display lasting up to 12 minutes. The first shows started on Sunday, with 22 shows planned over 11 nights across the next three weeks.
- First Star-Bound drone shows take place on Sunday as part of Vivid Sydney festival.
- During the 7:30pm performance, 89 drones fall into the water at Cockle Bay after a radio frequency glitch.
- The 9:30pm performance is cancelled on advice from specialist operators.
- Organisers cancel all four performances scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday pending a full safety review.
- Next scheduled drone show date (Sunday); return not yet confirmed by Destination NSW CEO Karen Jones.
Looking ahead
Karen Jones, chief executive of Destination NSW, which runs Vivid, told ABC Radio Sydney that while it was "incredibly upsetting" the shows had been cancelled, safety protocols worked as planned. She would not commit to the shows returning on Sunday—the next scheduled dates—until a full assessment is completed. Jones also ruled out deliberate interference with the drones, stating that operators had investigated it as a possibility during initial assessments on Monday night.
