Vivid Sydney has scrapped all remaining drone performances after a dramatic technical failure sent dozens of drones plunging from the sky during Monday night’s show.
The popular festival had planned drone displays on most evenings through to June 13, but organisers confirmed the aerial performances would now be replaced with fireworks from Sunday onward.
The decision follows an incident during Monday night’s 7.30pm “Star-Bound” display, when nearly 90 drones unexpectedly fell from the sky above Cockle Bay.
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In a statement, Vivid Sydney said the move followed assessments conducted by drone operator SkyMagic and relevant authorities.
The festival said the decision had been shaped by both technical advice and the need to provide certainty for crowds attending the event.
“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.”
Around 1,000 drones had taken flight during Monday’s show before 83 crashed into Sydney Harbour and another six landed on nearby ground and infrastructure, including a bridge.
Festival organisers said recovery efforts were continuing to retrieve the fallen devices.
SkyMagic said it was continuing to investigate what it described as outside interference that affected the performance and had been working alongside authorities to understand exactly what caused the malfunction.
“On this basis the decision has been made that the drone performances will not return for the remainder of Vivid Sydney 2026,” it said.
The company has previously maintained spectators were never placed in danger during the incident.
The failure has now prompted formal scrutiny, with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau launching an investigation into the drone malfunction and the circumstances surrounding Monday night’s display.
