89 Drones Plunge Into Sydney Harbour, Canceling 2 Vivid Sydney Shows

9 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 26

89 drones dropped into the water around Cockle Bay during Monday night's Vivid Sydney display, prompting organizers to cancel the next two shows.
Skymagic said an unforeseen post-takeoff change in radio frequency conditions compromised positional accuracy and triggered failsafe landings; it said no drones fell outside safety boundaries.
Witness footage showed dozens of drones tumbling near crowds at Darling Harbour, with one worker telling ABC he could hear devices smashing onto the wharf from 10 to 20 meters away.
Star-Bound uses up to 1,000 drones in a 12-minute show and had been scheduled for 22 performances over 11 nights; organizers said the remaining schedule will be reviewed with government agencies.
The disruption hits a marquee event in the three-week Vivid Sydney festival, which drew large crowds to drone shows in 2024 and skipped them in 2025 over overcrowding concerns.

Did an invisible force in Sydney's airwaves down 89 drones, or was this a predictable tech failure?

After the Vivid drone plunge, is the future of high-tech urban entertainment now permanently grounded?

When 89 drones fell safely into the harbor, was it a disaster or proof that safety protocols worked perfectly?