Festival-goers attending the Vivid Sydney light show were left terrified after becoming trapped in a “crowd crush” at Circular Quay.
Hundreds of people were trapped for up to 30 minutes near the overseas passenger terminal after a drone show ended at 9.10pm on Saturday.
Police officers in New South Wales were forced to remove metal barriers to allow the crowd to leave the area as people pushed their way out of dead ends.
“I felt like I was going to die,” one attendee told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It was terrifying. It was enough for one person to push too hard or for someone to fall for the situation to have catastrophic consequences.
‘There was no form of crowd control. It was shocking and clearly mismanaged.
Festival goers at the Vivid Sydney light show were left terrified after getting trapped in a ‘crowd’ at Circular Quay (pictured)
“People were breaking into the dining areas to try to find their way out of the crowd. One of the women who sat down to eat said that people who came to the restaurant left because there were so many people in the outdoor area.
‘It’s sad that businesses were losing money when Vivid is designed to bring business to the CBD. We decided to keep pushing our way through the crowd until we reached a lane and could get out and then we headed home.’
Another attendee, who posted photos of the chaos at X, expressed outrage at the “absolutely dangerous scenes at the Vivid festival.”
“After the 9:10 pm drone show ended, a crowd began to occur at the overseas passenger terminal,” they wrote.
“The police had to intervene to remove the barriers because of how serious it was.”
They said that the “people management” at the popular event was “very poor.”
“For example, people would come to dead ends, such as the food trucks near the entrance to the passenger terminal, and have to turn back,” they said.
One attendee who posted photos of the chaos at X (pictured) expressed outrage at the “absolutely dangerous scenes at the Vivid festival” on Saturday night.
A crowd is photographed gathering at Circular Quay, near George Street.
Another woman said staff were unable to get the crowd out of the chaos.
‘We stood waiting for an hour to see 10 mediocre drone formations and a bunch of advertisements. And it took us 30 minutes to leave the place,” he said.
‘We had to climb to the top of the grass to avoid the busiest part. It is half a meter high but we have children and the elderly.
‘In the crowd there are babies less than a year old crying. Even as an adult I felt pressured. Very very poorly organized. I do not recommend it. I hope no one gets hurt
At 8:30pm, Vivid Sydney posted an update on X warning that the event was experiencing large crowds for the drone show and asking visitors to avoid Circular Quay.
“The show will also be streamed live at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbor on the big screen and on the Vivid Sydney Facebook page,” the update said.
More to come.
At 8:30 pm, Vivid Sydney posted an update on X warning that the event was experiencing large crowds for the drone show and that the area should be avoided.