Fireworks Replace Drone Displays as Vivid Sydney Cancels Entire Drone Program

Vivid Sydney has cancelled all remaining drone shows after a technical malfunction during a large-scale performance over Darling Harbour resulted in dozens of drones entering the water and prompted a wider safety review of the festival’s aerial program.

The incident involved approximately 1,000 drones operating in formation above Sydney Harbour as part of the festival’s light and technology displays. During the show, 83 drones descended into Darling Harbour at Cockle Bay, while additional units landed on nearby infrastructure. The performance was stopped early, and a later scheduled show that night was also cancelled. No injuries were reported.

Festival organisers later suspended further drone displays while investigations and safety assessments were carried out. The drone segment, operated by UK-based company SkyMagic, was part of Vivid Sydney’s broader program of harbour-based installations.

In a statement, the festival organiser said the cancellation was guided by “technical and regulatory assessments” carried out by SkyMagic.

“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 Sydney said.

“Public safety will always remain the highest priority.”

SkyMagic said the issue was linked to an unexpected disruption in the operating environment affecting the drones’ positioning systems. The company stated that an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment” led to loss of positional accuracy and triggered automated safety responses, including controlled landings. Recovery operations for drones in the harbour began soon after the incident.

Authorities, including the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, opened an investigation into the malfunction and its causes. Organisers confirmed that a safety review was conducted before the decision was made to cancel all remaining drone shows for the duration of the festival. Fireworks were later confirmed as a replacement for the cancelled drone program segments, while other parts of the festival continued as planned across Sydney’s harbour precinct.

Vivid Sydney, which runs annually as a major winter festival of light, music and ideas, continued its wider schedule of installations and events following the change to its drone program.