Vivid Sydney Drone Shows Halted After Dozens Crash Into Harbour

Dozens of drones fell from the sky into Sydney Harbour during a performance on Monday night, forcing the cancellation of several upcoming shows as organisers Vivid Sydney launched a safety review.

Videos shared online appeared to show drones breaking formation above Cockle Bay before dropping into the water below during the Vivid festival’s “Star-Bound” drone display in Darling Harbour. Reports indicated 89 drones were affected.

The 7.30pm performance was halted after what organisers described as an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment”. The later 9.30pm session was cancelled, while Tuesday and Wednesday’s scheduled shows were also called off pending further assessment.

According to drone operator SkyMagic, interference affected the positional accuracy of some drones, triggering their automated safety systems.

“This anomaly caused a number of drones in the fleet to enact failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy,” the company said in a statement.

SkyMagic said no drones left the designated operating area during the incident.

“No drones breached the designated safety boundary, and there was no risk to public safety,” the statement said. “The remaining drones were safely recovered.”

A spokesperson for Vivid Sydney said the cancellations were made “in line with strict safety protocols” while authorities conducted a “full assessment” of the incident.

The drone shows had returned to the festival this year after being absent in 2025 due to crowd safety concerns linked to large attendances at Circular Quay in previous years.

This year’s program expanded the number of performances to 22 shows across 11 nights in Darling Harbour. The official Vivid Sydney website describes “Star-Bound” as “the festival’s largest drone program to date”, featuring 1,000 drones flying above Cockle Bay.

The free nightly display was designed as a major attraction of this year’s festival, combining synchronised drone movements with lighting and sound effects across the harbour precinct.

Vivid Sydney organisers said no decision had yet been made about whether performances scheduled from May 31 onwards would proceed.

“Public safety remains our highest priority,” a Vivid Sydney spokesperson said. “We apologise to festivalgoers for the disruption and appreciate their patience while the review is undertaken.”