BIG SPLASH

Nearly 100 Drones Plummet From Sky Into Wharf in Front of Horrified Spectators

The remaining shows have been cancelled pending investigation.

Nearly 100 drones fell out of the sky during a major Australian light festival, with footage capturing the devices splashing into the water and smashing onto a waterfront wharf in front of bystanders. The malfunction occurred during the Star-Bound drone show at Vivid Sydney, an annual festival held around Sydney Harbour. U.K. company Skymagic, which operates the show, said “an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off” caused 89 drones to trigger “failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy.” The impact was audible from a considerable distance. “The sound of them crashing on the wharf was considerable even from probably 10 to 15 or 20 meters away; you could hear them physically crash and smash onto the cement marina,” a Darling Harbour worker named Robert told national broadcaster ABC. Skymagic said none of the drones fell outside safety boundaries. Festival organizers apologized for the “disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees” and canceled upcoming shows pending a full assessment by Skymagic and government agencies. The Star-Bound show features up to 1,000 purpose-built drones across 22 planned performances over 11 nights. It had only launched the previous day.