Dozens of drones fall from sky during Sydney festival show

By euronews

Published on 26/05/2026 - 10:48 GMT+2

A drone show at Sydney’s famous Vivid festival was cancelled after dozens of drones malfunctioned and crashed into the water during a live performance.

The incident happened on Monday night above Darling Harbour, where crowds had gathered to watch one of the festival’s nightly drone displays. Videos shared online showed several drones suddenly glitching mid-air before plunging into Cockle Bay.

“Are they meant to do that?” one person can be heard asking in a video filmed by an onlooker. “I don’t think so,” another person replies.

SkyMagic, the company behind the performance, said a change in radio frequency caused the malfunction. According to organisers, 89 drones fell into the harbour.

Festival organisers later announced that the drone performances planned for Tuesday and Wednesday had been cancelled because of “unforeseen technical difficulties.”

“We apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees,” organisers said in a statement.

Officials added that nobody was injured and that no drones fell outside a designated safety zone.

Vivid Sydney is held every year and features large-scale light installations, fireworks, drone shows and art performances across the city centre.

Video editor • Yolaine De Kerchove Dexaerde

Additional sources • AFP