Fury as Vivid drone show cancelled 20 minutes before it was due to start on closing night of the Sydney festival
Vivid Sydney canceled its drone show 20 before it was due to start on the closing night of this year’s light festival.
Spectators who braved the cold and flocked to Circular Quay on Saturday evening for the There is love in the air show were furious after the shock announcement was made due to ‘predicted weather conditions’.
“The show will not be rescheduled as tonight marks the conclusion of Vivid Sydney 2024. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. Please be patient when exiting,” the message read.
The show was scheduled to start at 9:10 PM, but the announcement, although with a timestamp of 8:43 PM, was sent at 8:52 PM on X and at 8:55 PM on Facebook.
The organizers said in advance that they expected a large audience, but that the show also depended on the weather.
One member of the crowd reported that they were sitting in Ms Maquarie’s seat overlooking the harbor and that the ‘weather was nice’.
Sydney’s Circular Quay was packed on Saturday evening, but Vivid’s climactic drone show was canceled 20 minutes before showtime
The show features a drone programmed to perform a spectacular light show over Sydney Harbour, similar to fireworks
Organizers said the drone show had been canceled due to weather conditions, although many complained there was only a very brief rain shower
Sydney Harbor would host the drone show for Vivid’s closing night
Vivid caused controversy just a few days ago when huge crowds moving through the city during the show caused a major traffic jam for pedestrians.
Crowd members who made the trip to the drone show on Saturday expressed their frustration online.
“I noticed a lot of people were still waiting for the show and didn’t know it was canceled,” one person said.
‘The sky is clear from 6am to 8am, then 20 minutes of rain and at 9.15am it was clear again. The crowds had already gathered, a little common sense and flexibility and you could have flown the drones early or ten minutes late…I’m sure the hundreds of families wouldn’t have cared.”
“Waste of time, cancel early and let people find other things,” said a third.
A fourth simply claimed it was a ‘scam’.
“I paid hundreds for a harbor cruise to see it,” said a fifth.
Twenty minutes before the drone show was due to start, a message was sent out on social media
One person online said the show could have been canceled hours in advance and that would have saved people the hassle
Lively has been largely a success, but last week’s pedestrian traffic jam and Saturday night’s disappointment will no doubt leave a sour taste
Visitors braving the cold had to fight their way back through the crowds, while one person said they spent hundreds on a harbor cruise
Public transport was packed near Circular Quay around 10pm on Saturday as disappointed crowds headed home
