Vivid Sydney 2026 has grounded the hugely popular drone shows at Darling Harbour after an embarrassing crash – the second season the drones have had to be stopped.
Drone show operator SkyMagic issued a statement saying all remaining shows had been cancelled following the “technical failure”.
Vivid Sydney said the drones would now be replaced with firework displays. The organisers said the cancellation was guided by “technical and regulatory assessments”.
Vivid Sydney told the ABC: “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. Public safety will always remain the highest priority.”
SkyMagic said it was working closely with authorities to find out what caused some of the drones to fall from the sky during Monday night’s show.
“On this basis, the decision has been made that the drone performances will not return for the remainder of Vivid Sydney 2026.”
The Vivid Drone Show controversy
The aerial spectacle, which previously drew huge crowds to Sydney Harbour, made its comeback in 2026 after being absent from last year’s festival.
A few months ago, NSW Premier Chris Minns confirmed the show’s return in a social media post, revealing that the display will run for 11 nights during the festival, with two performances scheduled each evening for a total of 22 shows.
The drone display was not included in the 2025 festival, following safety concerns linked to large crowds gathering in already congested harbourfront areas. In other words, they were too popular for their own good.
Authorities had raised concerns about the challenges of managing massive spectator numbers around Circular Quay, particularly after heavy crowd congestion and an incident during the 2024 event.
The popularity of the shows had created bottlenecks along narrow waterfront promenades and transport hubs, prompting organisers and state authorities to reconsider how the spectacle could be delivered safely.
However, for 2026, organisers reworked their approach. Instead of launching from the harbour near Circular Quay, the drone display moved to Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour, offering significantly larger viewing areas and improved pedestrian access.
Cockle Bay’s wider waterfront and proximity to Darling Harbour’s open plazas and promenades were expected to provide far more room for audiences compared with the tightly packed foreshore areas around Circular Quay.
Unfortunately, this year’s problems had little to do with overcrowding or public safety – the issue was the show itself.
The drone show operator, UK-based company Skymagic, also issued a statement on the incident, attributing the failure to an “unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off.”
Skymagic’s head of operations, Dyfan Rhys, has ruled out “foul play”, however they are “still investigating all possibilities”.
Fireworks instead
Late on Saturday, the Vivd Sydney had still not updated its website.
But it is believed there will now be fireworks on the remaining nights when the drones were due to appear.
The fireworks should be ready this Sunday, and will take place over Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour, Sunday – Wednesday with two shows each night, 7.30pm & 9.30pm, running for approximately 10 minutes.
