Vivid officially cancels light show after dozens of drones fell from the sky into Sydney Harbour

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA and BURNEY WONG Published: 02:55, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 02:55, 30 May 2026 Vivid Sydney has pulled the plug on a popular light show after 89 drones suddenly plummeted into the ocean as shocked spectators watched on.  Following a technical and safety assessment, organisers announced on Saturday the remaining Star-Bound drone shows had been cancelled.  'We understand this will be disappointing for audiences and appreciate the public's understanding,' Vivid Sydney wrote online. 'Fireworks displays will now complement the Laser Lightfall experience in Darling Harbour at the times previously scheduled for drone shows, adding another layer of spectacle to Vivid Sydney's celebrations.' The 9.30pm drone show was cancelled last Monday after 'unforeseen technical difficulties' during the 7.30pm session caused the drones to suddenly plummet.  Vivid cancelled subsequent shows on Tuesday and Wednesday night while a technical and safety review was carried out. 'We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees,' a Vivid Sydney spokesperson said. 'Public safety is always the number one priority and a full assessment is now underway with the specialist operators and relevant government agencies advising on next steps.' Vivid Sydney has officially pulled the plug on a popular light show (pictured) after almost 90 drones fall from the sky into the ocean as shocked spectators watched on Following a technical and safety assessment, organisers announced on Saturday the remaining Star-Bound drone shows had been cancelled (pictured) A worker at Darling Harbour told ABC Local Radio there appeared to be a 'cascading failure of the drones'. 'Everything seemed normal and then very shortly after that first image was displayed, on the southern side of Cockle Bay you started seeing drones dropping in the water,' he said. The drone show's operator, Sky Magic, said 89 drones landed in the waters of Cockle Bay, and that the incident had been caused by an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment. 'No vehicle escaped the safety boundary of the show parameters and the reaction of the pilots and crew were timely and appropriate in accordance with our operations manual and processes,' the company said. 'Some vehicles during the emergency landing phase encountered the geofence boundary and shut down to preserve the safety zone, resulting in them falling into the water.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.