Overview
- Nearly 90 drones fell out of formation and into Cockle Bay during the 7:30pm Star‑Bound display, with organisers and witnesses reporting loud impacts on the marina and no reported injuries.
- Operator SkyMagic says an unforeseen change in the radio‑frequency environment after take‑off compromised positional accuracy and caused some drones to trigger automatic stop and return‑to‑home failsafe procedures.
- Vivid Sydney cancelled the later 9:30pm show and suspended all Star‑Bound performances for Tuesday and Wednesday to allow a full technical and safety review by the operator and festival organisers.
- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been notified and is gathering information as part of a developing investigation while teams work to recover crashed drones to limit pollution from lithium‑ion batteries.
- The incident raises fresh scrutiny of large urban drone swarms — which rely on precise RF communications, geofencing and centralised control — after the festival reinstated drone shows this year following a 2025 pause for safety concerns.