Almost 90 drones dropped during the 7.30pm performance of Star-Bound on Monday, part of Vivid Sydney, an annual three-week festival. Of these, 83 fell into Cockle Bay and six landed on a boardwalk and bridge. No injuries were reported.
Skymagic, the UK company operating the display, blamed an unexpected change in the radio frequency environment after take-off, which caused some drones to trigger failsafe landing procedures.
A dramatic video from Sydney captured dozens of drones falling from the sky during a popular winter light show at Darling Harbour. The incident reportedly took place during Monday night’s performance after organisers cited technical difficulties during the drone show.
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Pilots held the remaining fleet stationary before activating a return-to-home protocol. Drones that hit the geofence boundary shut down and fell into the water. Skymagic said no drone left the show’s safety boundary.
“Early indications show there was no foul play present, but we are still investigating all possibilities,” said Dyfan Rhys, Skymagic’s head of operations and production.
Eyewitness Accounts
A Darling Harbour worker named Robert told news broadcaster ABC, “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.”
Spectator Adam Love told the Sydney Morning Herald the drones appeared to enter a “test pattern” before falling. “They paused in formation for ages. It seems that behind the scenes they were madly scrambling to get them to reconnect,” he said.
Shows Cancelled, Review Underway
Vivid Sydney cancelled Monday’s 9.30pm show immediately after the malfunction. All Tuesday and Wednesday shows were also called off. Karen Jones, chief executive of Destination NSW, said Sunday’s show depended on the outcome of a full safety review. She confirmed the exclusion zone worked as designed, ensuring drones fell into water or within a designated area.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it was notified and gathering information. Efforts are underway to recover drones from the harbour to prevent pollution from lithium-ion batteries. Industry estimates put drone costs at $1,500–$2,400 each, making the loss of roughly 80 units significant.
Star-Bound features 1,000 purpose-built drones across 11 nights. Vivid Sydney skipped drone shows in 2025 over crowd concerns. In 2023, over 400 drones fell into Melbourne’s Yarra River during a similar event, with wind later found to be the cause.
