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Vivid cancels shows after drones plummet due to ‘technical difficulties’

Vivid Sydney has been forced to cancel its centrepiece drone show for multiple nights, blaming "technical difficulties" after drones were seen falling out of the sky.

Nearly 90 drones plummeted into the harbour during the early show last night, sparking comments on social media.

A Vivid spokesperson said the 7.30pm Star-Bound show was called off, and the 9.30pm edition was also cancelled along with both shows today and tomorrow to allow for a "full technical and safety review".

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Organisers blamed "unforeseen technical difficulties" for the mishaps in the earlier show.

"Monday's 7.30pm Vivid Sydney 'Star-Bound' drone show was cancelled due to unforeseen technical difficulties at the start of the performance. We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees," the spokesperson said.

"The specialist operators identified a technical issue and made the decision to safely discontinue the show in line with standard safety protocols.

"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."

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SKYMAGIC, the operator leading the drone show, said in a statement that 89 drones landed in the water around Cockle Bay due to "an unforeseen change in the radio frequency (RF) environment occurring after take-off".

"This anomaly caused a number of drones in the fleet to enact failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy."

"The pilot team encountering the issue immediately performed a stop command rendering the fleet stationary in the air, enabling time to safely assess the issue.

"Once stability had been evaluated, the team then activated the return to home protocol bringing the unaffected drones to a safe landing," SKYMAGIC said in a statement.

The festival, which kicked off on Sunday night, showcases light installations, music performances, food and other experiences.

This year is a comeback for the drone show, which proved so wildly popular in 2024 that it was cancelled last year due to safety concerns. There was also criticism from some attendees that the show was underwhelming.

Sunday night's 7.30pm edition of the drone show had to be cancelled due to rain, but the 9.30pm edition went ahead without a hitch.

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