Vivid Sydney has cancelled all remaining drone shows after 83 fell from the sky into Darling Harbour this week, prompting a “full assessment” of the aerial light show.
On Monday, audiences looked on as a performance called Star-Bound suddenly went awry, with “unforeseen technical difficulties” causing 83 drones to plunge into the waters of Cockle Bay and six to land on a boardwalk. No injuries were reported.
Four performances were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution while operators completed a full technical and safety review. On Saturday, Vivid confirmed all remaining drone shows scheduled for the next two weeks were also cancelled.
In a statement, Vivid said its team “understand this will be disappointing for audiences and appreciate the public’s understanding” but that the technical and safety review had led to the decision to cancel.
“Providing certainty for visitors, residents and event attendees as Vivid Sydney continues over the coming weeks has also been an important consideration in making this decision,” Vivid said in a statement.
“Fireworks displays will now complement the Laser Lightfall experience in Darling Harbour at the times previously scheduled for drone shows, adding another layer of spectacle to Vivid Sydney’s celebrations.
“Public safety remains the absolute priority and all decisions have been guided by expert technical and regulatory advice.”
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.
The drone show was scrapped last year amid concerns over crowd control issues but it returned this year heralded as Australia’s “most extensive” event of its kind. It features 1,000, purpose-built drones made specifically for large-scale aerial displays.
Vivid Sydney runs until 13 June.
