Sydney Vivid Festival: NSW Premier Chris Minns apologies for drone show cancellation on final night

The NSW premier has weighed in on the cancellation of the Vivid Festival drone show on the final night that left thousands stranded in the rain after hours of waiting. 

Chris Minns apologised to everyone who lined up for the show at Sydney's Circular Quay which was called off at the last minute on Saturday night because of 'forecasted weather conditions'.

Festival organisers announced that the Love is in the Air drone show would not go ahead 20 minutes before its scheduled start time of 9.10pm. 

Mr Minns said the decision to can the popular event was necessary to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

“I am really sorry about last night. A lot of families and kids were really looking forward to last night,' he told reporters on Sunday.

 'It is deeply regrettable, and I am sincerely sorry. The decision was made by the drone operator and it was completely weather dependent,'

The premier said the drone operator waited until the last minute 'not to inconvenience families, but to actually see whether they could go ahead with the program'.

'I know families are doing it really tough at the moment and the free entertainment that comes about as a result of Vivid and the drone show is welcome because it means you can take your kids and family out, and it doesn't cost anything to see it,' he said.

'I am really sorry about last night. A lot of families and kids were really looking forward to last night.'

Mr Minns wrapped up his apology by promising to host more free events in Sydney over the next 12 months. 

'This one didn't go ahead, but there will be many more opportunities in the months and years ahead,' he said.

The drone show was intended to be the last highlight of the festival and would have wrapped up the final night of the three week event.

Crowds had lined up along the harbour and Opera House in Circular Quay in the hours leading up to the start time before it was cancelled.

It was one of three drone shows scheduled to run during Vivid.

Organisers posted updates at 8:43pm on X and 8:52pm on Facebook on Saturday night telling audiences to disperse as the show could not continue.

'The show will not be rescheduled, as tonight marks the conclusion of Vivid Sydney 2024. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for understanding. Please be patient when exiting,' the post read.

Postponing the drone show was also not an option as the harbour had been closed and needed to be re-opened.

Attendees had previously been warned via an earlier update that the show was 'highly sensitive and dependent on weather conditions to proceed'.

Still, those who arrived to watch the tentative performance were left embittered by the abruptness of Saturday night's announcement.

One woman vented her frustrations online that the show should have been canned hours earlier instead of leaving everyone on the hook.

Another noted that the weather 'wasn't that bad' and that they assumed it was not going to impede the drones.

The Australian Traffic Network was in charge of the drone show.

Chief executive Vic Lorusso said a number of factors made the event impossible to carry out. 

'The decision was driven by pilot experience, forecasted rains and continuous monitoring of the Bureau of Meteorology for 2.5 hours before the planned launch,' he said in a statement. 

'The risk of launching drones in such conditions was too great. Flying in poor weather conditions could lead to drone malfunctions or collisions, posing significant safety hazards to the audience.'

Vivid officially wrapped up at 11pm after running since May 24.