The incident has led to two forthcoming shows being pulled while organisers and authorities carry out a full safety assessment of the rest of the schedule. What Brought the Failure? Skymagic, the company responsible for the drone show, which is based in the United Kingdom, confirmed that 89 drones fell into the water surrounding Cockle Bay, the wharf area in Darling Harbour, during the show on the evening of May 25.
The company blamed the glitch on an unexpected shift in the radio frequency environment, which occurred after the drones had already taken off. That change in radio frequency affected the positional accuracy of the devices, triggering their internal failsafe landing procedures, and they fell down instead of continuing the choreographed display.
Skymagic said none of the drones exceeded the safety limits laid down, but the visual impact of dozens of machines dropping at once was clearly unsettling for those on site. Witnesses Tell Of Their Sightings: Robert, a worker at Darling Harbour, told national broadcaster ABC that the noise of the drones crashing onto the wharf was significant even at a distance of ten to twenty metres. "I could actually hear them crash and smash on the cement marina," he said, referring to the force with which the devices hit the ground and the water.
The online video shows bystanders visibly puzzled and alarmed at the developing malfunction, as the orchestrated aerial display devolves into a frenzied cascade of falling devices. A Vivid Sydney spokesperson said they were disappointed and apologised for the disappointment and inconvenience to attendees. Star-Bound Drone Show The malfunction is with a drone display called Star-Bound, which features up to 1,000 purpose-built drones performing a choreographed aerial display that can last up to 12 minutes. The show was set to run across 22 shows over 11 nights throughout the three-week festival, with the first performances starting on Sunday. Festival organisers have confirmed that Skymagic and relevant government agencies will carry out a full assessment before a decision is made as to whether the remaining shows in the schedule will go ahead. The outcome of that review will determine if the Star-Bound experience can be salvaged for the remainder of Vivid Sydney's run. Vivid Sydney's Drone Shows – A History of Vivid. Sydney debuted drone shows in its programme for the first time in 2024, with the displays attracting large crowds and a lot of enthusiasm.
But the 2025 edition did not include any drone shows due to concerns about overcrowding at the waterfront venues. The return of drone performances in 2026 had been much anticipated, and the malfunction on Monday was an unwelcome development for both organisers and the many thousands of visitors who had gathered specifically to watch the aerial display. The incident is likely to prompt a review of safety and contingency planning for future drone shows at the festival.
About Vivid Sydney Vivid Sydney has been running since 2009 and bills itself as the biggest festival of light, music, ideas and food in the Southern Hemisphere. The event draws thousands of locals and tourists to Sydney Harbour and the surrounding areas of central Sydney every year, with one of its signature attractions being the colourful visual projections projected on the distinctive sails of the Sydney Opera House.
The festival is open to a broad public audience and includes a free 6.5 kilometre walking route with 43 large-scale light installations. The festival is going ahead as planned, however, with the organisers working to resolve technical issues with the drone element before giving out more information about the schedule.
