The NSW Premier has weighed in on the cancellation of last night’s Vivid Festival drone show which left thousands of people stranded in the rain after hours of waiting.
Chris Minns has apologized to everyone queuing for the show at Sydney’s Circular Quay, which was canceled at the last minute on Saturday night due to “anticipated weather conditions”.
Festival organizers announced that the Love is in the Air drone show would not take place 20 minutes before its scheduled start time of 9:10 p.m.
Minns said the decision to cancel the popular event was necessary to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
“I’m very sorry about last night. “A lot of families and children were looking forward to last night,” he told reporters Sunday.
Thousands of people were left disappointed on the final night of Sydney’s Vivid Festival after the Love is in the Air drone show was canceled 20 minutes before its scheduled start on Saturday.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns apologized for the last-minute decision not to go ahead with the show, but added it was necessary to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
‘It is deeply regrettable and I am sincerely sorry. The decision was made by the drone operator and was completely dependent on the weather,”
The prime minister said the drone operator waited until the last minute “not to upset the families, but to see if they could go ahead with the program.”
“I know families are having a really hard time right now and the free entertainment that comes as a result of Vivid and the drone show is welcome because it means you can take your kids and your family, and it doesn’t cost anything to watch,” he said. .
‘I’m very sorry about last night. “Many families and children were looking forward to it arriving last night.”
Minns concluded 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 to come,” he said.
The drone show was intended to be the final highlight of the festival and would have concluded on the final night of the three-week event.
Only three drone shows were scheduled during the three weeks of the festival.
The drone operator cited poor weather conditions as the main reason for the cancellation. Pictured is the crowd braving the cold conditions before the show was cancelled.
Crowds had formed along the harbor and the Opera House at Circular Quay in the hours leading up to the start time before it was cancelled.
It was one of three drone shows scheduled during Vivid.
Organizers posted updates at 8:43 pm on X and at 8:52 pm on Facebook on Saturday night telling the public to disperse as the show could not go on.
‘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 leaving,” the post said.
Postponing the drone show was also not an option, as the port had been closed and needed to be reopened.
Attendees had previously been warned via a previous update that the show was “highly sensitive and dependent on weather conditions to continue.”
Predicted rain could have caused some of the drones to malfunction, organizers said
Still, those who came to see the tentative performance were bitter at the abruptness of Saturday night’s announcement.
One woman expressed frustration online that the show should have been canceled hours earlier instead of leaving everyone scrambling.
Another noted that the weather “wasn’t that bad” and that they assumed it wouldn’t 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 hold.
“The decision was driven by the pilot’s experience, predicted rainfall and continuous monitoring by the Bureau of Meteorology for 2.5 hours before the planned launch,” it 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 risks to the public.’
Vivid officially concluded at 11pm after running since May 24.