As of 8:38pm, Circular Quay & The Rocks have reached capacity at Vivid Sydney.
Vantage points for the Vivid Sydney drone show have reached capacity. Please avoid Circular Quay and The Rocks. Other Vivid Sydney locations are operating at Barangaroo, Darling Harbour and The Goods Line.
Vivid Sydney
UPDATED 14th of June 2024
Vivid Sydney‘s Love Is In The Air drone show resulted in 2 near-crowd crushes, 1 behind the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks & 1 at the intersection of Albert & Phillip Streets. The Rocks near-crowd crush occurred before the show had even started.
The Rocks near-crowd crush was the worst near-crowd crush since, though slightly not as bad as the one that occurred at the Moore Steps in 2016. It was 5 times larger in size but less serious in terms of medical incidents, of which there were none.
The scientific definition of a crowd crush is when crowd density reaches 9 to 10 people per square metre & this number is sustained for a significant amount of time but a density of 6-7 people per square metre is when people become uncomfortable & the situation becomes dangerous. When Circular Quay’s capacity of 70,000 for Vivid‘s drone shows are reached, the density should be about 1-2 people per square metre.
1 woman told The Daily Mail that Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity staff were failing to direct the crowd out of the chaos:
We waited 1 hour standing to see 10 mediocre drone formations & a bunch of ads & took us 30 minutes to just leave the spot.
We had to get on top of the grass bedding to avoid the crowded part. It’s half a metre high but we have kid & elderly.
In the crowd there are baby less than a year old crying. Even as an adult. I felt pushed around. Very, very badly organised. Don’t recommend.
Vivid Sydney attendee
Sydney Spectaculars believes 94,000 people were caught in it. Both near-crowd crushes lasted until 9:50pm – half an hour after the drone show concluded.
I felt like I was going to die. It was terrifying. All it would have taken was just 1 person pushing too hard or for someone to fall over for the situation to have catastrophic consequences. There was no form of crowd control. It was shocking & clearly poorly managed.
People were barging through the eating areas to try to find their way out of the crowd. 1 of the women sitting down to eat said people who came to the restaurant were leaving because so many people were in the alfresco area.
It’s sad that businesses were losing money when ‘Vivid’ is designed to bring business to the CBD (central business district). We decided to keep pushing through the crowd until we were at a laneway & were able to bail out & then we went home.
Vivid Sydney Attendee
After the drone show, New South Wales (NSW) Police reportedly weren’t told anything & according to Today, the riot squad had to remove metal barriers to let the crowd leave the area from all directions. According to 9News, the mounted unit had to be called in.
Absolutely dangerous scenes at Vivid festival. After the 9:10pm drone show finished, there was a crowd crush starting to happen by the overseas passenger terminal. Police had to step in to remove barriers because of how serious it was.
People management very poor. For example people flowing into dead ends like the food trucks near the passenger terminal entrance and had to turn back.
Last year, the extraordinary crowds for the Written In The Stars drone show created a ‘traffic jam’ from the Circular Quay railway station/ferry wharves after the show due to 98% of people trying to immediately go home. Last night, trains were still at capacity as late as 11pm – when the lights of Vivid go off each night, most likely as a result of the crowds which were anticipated to be 4 times as large as last year.
Australian Associated Press reporter Scott Bailey said people were squeezed in like cattle with no security or event staff to be seen:
Was as if organisers didn’t account for anywhere near the crowd they got.
Scott Bailey, Australian Associated Press Reporter
Saw lots of groups with small kids and prams pretty much stuck in the crowd, moving very, very slowly.
Nick McLaren, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Journalist
We were there part of this crowd & it’s very scary. We were pushed from side to side by the crowd. Many kids were crying & parents pushing prams didn’t know where to go. We heard the police saying they were not told anything. 1 mother was crying she lost 2 of her children. It was a total disaster. No proper coordination. They closed lots of areas which was a problem, so difficult to exit.
Vivid Sydney attendee (‘CitrusHoneyComte‘ Daily Mail commentator)
The Love Is In The Air drone show is on again tonight (Sunday 9th June 2024) and next Saturday – the final night of Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity, both at 9:10pm. Attendance is expected to be just as crowded tonight for the drone show.
Victor Dominello attended Saturday’s drone show and told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that crowd control was “non-existent from what I saw”.
It was human sardines. These are New Year’s Eve crowds but on steroids. No-one anticipated how many people would be on the foreshore
Victor Dominello, MyGov Advisory Group Chairperson
Vivid Sydney attendee, Anthony Warren, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “something bad” was going to happen as people tried to leave the area saying he could not see any crowd control people:
Looking at the crowd, you could see it was all families and people with prams, and they were packed together like sardines. It could have gotten so much worse very quickly, if someone started running or shouted ‘fire’. They had nowhere to go.
People didn’t know where to go and started to crush. People with babies, prams, elderly people — I noticed some were quite distressed. It was quite confronting to see.
People looked a bit panicked but were trying to keep their cool.
People just could not get out – there were people stuck there for over an hour, just standing & I noticed some of the barricades were being disassembled, which eventually eased the crush.
Anthony Warren
Another attendee wrote that she was sorry she went to the event:
A huge crush saved by a random opening a barrier. Bloody lucky no one panicked. The worst crowd control. No coordination, direction & clearly untrained crowd management staff…
Vivid Sydney attendee
Sydney Spectaculars anticipated this would happen since the drone show was announced in late April, publishing on Friday an article on the drone show stating:
Whilst we cannot be 100% sure when predicting crowd numbers, Sydney Spectaculars is expecting 194,000 people to attend per long weekend drone show in 2024, about a 270% increase on last year, due to the limited number of drone shows. Circular Quay cannot handle this amount of people at once. As implied earlier, Circular Quay’s capacity for a drone show is around 70,000 people. To have nearly 3 times that amount is dangerous, especially with a Harbour on 1 side. People falling into the water, crowd crushes & impatience leading to violence is all very possible if this situation plays out.
The full cancellation of most of Vivid Light on the just recent Saturday didn’t help. That meant about 174,000 people missed out their night and may return, most likely, on the drone show nights. That would add an extra 58,000 people per drone show to the numbers above. In other words, 252,000 people per drone show – nearly 4 times the amount of the average drone show audience of last year.
Sydney Spectaculars
Our article was only published on Friday, a day prior to the 1st drone show, for 3 reasons:
I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my life. Everyone pushing from all sides with no escape.
Josh Rogers (as reported by news.com.au)
Our predicted quarter of a million people attending did occur as 7 News reported that 500,000 extra trips on public transport were made. If there was 1 trip to the drone show and 1 back home, that would equal to a quarter of a million people.
Staff described the events last night as like New Year’s Eve
Howard Collins, Transport For NSW
Vivid Sydney slowly realised the chaos about to ensure. They did deliberately hold off their drone show announcement by 3-4 weeks after the main media launch, most likely to avoid the publicity but last week, they announced the Facebook LIVE live stream would be screened near the stage in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour & on the day of the 1st drone show they announced that Macquarie Street between the Sydney Opera House & the State Library Of NSW will be closed to traffic between 8:35pm & 9:20pm due to the Love Is In The Air drone show.
Unlike previous years, we believe Vivid Sydney did not enforce capacity limits last night. Instead they just encouraged people to “avoid” Circular Quay. If you are planning to attend, arrive before 8:40pm – that’s 40 minutes before the drone show starts. Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity Director, Gill Minervini, says capacity limits will be enforced tonight.
According to ABC News, Vivid Sydney & NSW Police met this afternoon (Sunday 9th of June).
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said this morning said that extra police would be on duty tonight for the 2nd drone show. As we’ve said before, more police just takes up more space. Mr Park also advised people not to go to the foreshore unless it was necessary:
It’s an incredibly popular event. It’s a long weekend. It’s good weather at the moment, people are out and about. Police advise that there was a lot of people there, a lot more than expected. They’re not saying anyone was injured or there was any serious incidents. The crowd was able to disperse, uh, very quickly.
We’re saying to people that if you can see the city, you’ll be able to see the light show. You don’t have to be right down there at the foreshore.
NSW Health Minister, Ryan Park
In regards to the drone show, the drone show only faces the southern side of Circular Quay so if you’re on the northern side while you can see the city & the drones, you will see a back to front drone show. The only view of the drone show is on the southern side of Circular Quay and from The Rocks, both places where you can see the city. However, for Vivid Light in general, the main walk is the 8km foreshore walk from Central Railway Station, via Barangaroo, to the Sydney Opera House. For Vivid Light in general, you do not need to be at Circular Quay as the NSW Health Minister states. NSW Police will also tonight more move barriers if needed to, according to 7News.
It’s slow & it’s busy but we will ensure your safety if you listen to what’s said.
NSW Police Detective Superintendent, Jodi Radmore
Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity Director, Gill Minervini, said that all agencies working at the event, including NSW Police, Ambulance & Transport For NSW, had vast experience in managing big crowds & were prepared. She said more police officers were sent to the near-crowd crushes when they occurred. She also urged people to exercise “patience, kindness and tolerance” at future drone shows:
The crowd did move safely through the festival. Yes, it was very busy but like when you go to a football game or a concert, it was a very big crowd, all moving out at once. Of course, we’re always reviewing our plans & have continued to do so today, as we do every day with this event. Police will have a lot of officers on site. We will be closing some of the areas earlier when they’re full & a variety of other operational things are in place for tonight so yes, we’re hoping that it will be a smooth & enjoyable experience for everyone.
It will be slow. If you need to stop & have a rest, stop and have a rest but we just ask for people to bring their understanding & their patience to see this fabulous drone show in the best harbour in the world. Some people weren’t comfortable in the crowds but we just, um, ask people to be very understanding to one another. Be very kind to one another.
Not all people felt afraid for their safety & of course, we’ve acknowledged that some people felt uncomfortable in the crowd but the crowd did move safely through the egress through the festival.
Gill Minervini, ‘Vivid Sydney’ 2024 – ‘Humanity‘ Director
Vivid Sydney organisers work with government partners & agencies to plan & deliver a successful & safe event including to manage the crowds that turned out to see last night’s drone show.
Event and security personnel monitor crowd flow & implement scalable measures to manage crowd flow at various points if required, particularly on the busy nights and peak periods.
This includes advising visitors that certain areas have reached capacity and adjusting infrastructure to support crowd flow
We understand that a large number of people leaving a major event at the same time can be slow & challenging and are grateful to the public for their patience and cooperation.
We encourage our festival attendees to plan for their Vivid Sydney visit & stay up to date including via our social media channels and the digital signage around the footprint.
Vivid Sydney spokesperson
At the conclusion of yesterday’s drone show (Saturday 8 June 2024), officers working for ‘Operation Vivid’ 2024 assisted the large crowd in leaving Circular Quay.
Larger than expected attendees resulted in pedestrian traffic congestion, particularly in and around the transport hubs; however, the crowds dispersed after a short period and there were no injuries or incidents reported.
NSW Police continue to conduct a highly visible and coordinated policing response to this year’s ‘Vivid’ event.
NSW Police
Were you affected and have a story to tell? Contact us.
As of 8:40pm, Vivid Sydney is telling attendees of Vivid Sydney tonight, particularly of the Love Is In The Air drone show at 9:10pm, to avoid Circular Quay.
Earlier tonight, Vivid Sydney announced Macquarie Street between the Sydney Opera House & the State Library Of New South Wales will be closed to traffic between 8:35pm & 9:20pm due to the Love Is In The Air drone show.
We are experiencing large crowds for the Vivid Sydney drone show this evening. Please avoid Circular Quay. The show will also be live streamed near the stage at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour.
Vivid Sydney
On the 5th of April, Vivid Sydney announced their drone shows for the current ongoing 2024 edition which this year is overall themed Humanity.
The 2024 drone show is titled Love Is In The Air, a cross between a pun on the love-themed drone usage & the reference to the iconic 1977 John Paul Young song of the same name, which was remixed for the iconic 1992 Australian film, Strictly Ballroom.
Unlike last year when drone shows featured on 7 of the 23 nights, this year the number of shows is halved with the drone shows only be held on 3 nights in June – the 8th, the 9th & the 15th. These dates are the final night of Vivid Sydney 2024 and the main weekend nights of the King’s Birthday long weekend.
It should be noted that last year, only 6 nights were originally announced for drone shows. The 7th and final night were unannounced & unplanned but added due to the extraordinary demand for it. There is every chance additional nights will be added for 2024 but if they are added, they will only be on/announced around the 10th-14th June as an idea of 2024 drone show crowd numbers wouldn’t be confirmed until the 1st drone show on the 8th but if last year is any indication, there should be a drone show on at least all of these nights.
We’ve contacted Vivid Sydney‘s publicity agency, Ogilvy, as to why the drone shows have been halved & we received a response, but it didn’t answer our query, so we have placed it at the end of the article. Last year, we speculated that the 2024 drone shows would be on every night & twice a night (at 8pm & 10pm) on the peak nights of Fridays, weekends & the King’s Birthday public holiday.
Given the halving of drone shows, Vivid runs the risk of making what is already the most popular nights of the event – the weekend nights of the King’s Birthday long weekend – too popular as spectators may hold off on their visit until these drone show nights, which are very few in number, given the extraordinary crowds received for them last year. This is because people like to have the most complete experience in the shortest amount of time possible, particularly given the only time most people can allow themselves to have a holiday is that long weekend due to the public holiday on the Monday for the King’s Birthday.
Last year, 71,428 people attended each Written In The Stars drone show on average (including the surprise 7th drone show) – an at-capacity crowd for the drone show. 500,000 in total. Crowds seemed to peak around the drone show as it was an ‘event within an event’. It was not something that ran all night for 3 weeks. It happened only for 10 minutes per night or 3% of each Vivid Light night, for only 6 nights. It is literally blink-and-you-will-miss-it compared to the scale of the night, but it was a noticeable feature of the Vivid Light program/of the 23-day event, even though it was only advertised for just 6 nights. Being an unticketed event didn’t help to gauge likely crowd numbers pre-event but Circular Quay’s capacity was likely monitored and just within safe limits, even though the crowd may have been inconvenienced by having to wait to access Circular Quay’s transport hub due to the amount of people trying to get there all at once post-drone show.
Vivid Sydney has cautiously avoided promoting the drone show this year. They left it off the media launch announcement most likely to avoid it receiving maximum publicity, leaving it 3-4 weeks before adding it to their website and announcing it via social media.
Whilst we cannot be 100% sure when predicting crowd numbers, Sydney Spectaculars is expecting 194,000 people to attend per long weekend drone show in 2024, about a 270% increase on last year, due to the limited number of drone shows. Circular Quay cannot handle this amount of people at once. As implied earlier, Circular Quay’s capacity for a drone show is around 70,000 people. To have nearly 3 times that amount is dangerous, especially with a Harbour on 1 side. People falling into the water, crowd crushes & impatience leading to violence is all very possible if this situation plays out.
The full cancellation of most of Vivid Light on the just recent Saturday didn’t help. That meant about 174,000 people missed out their night and may return, most likely, on the drone show nights. That would add an extra 58,000 people per drone show to the numbers above. In other words, 252,000 people per drone show – nearly 4 times the amount of the average drone show audience of last year.
Vivid Sydney seems to have realised the possibility of chaos as they are suddenly promoting the fact that the drone show will be live streamed in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour but who goes out of the way to watch a drone show live stream in a park? That live stream will make no difference. In the end, this is just a warning to be cautious for now. Vivid Sydney has capacity limits, which we expect will be enforced but how would 66% of the 252,000 people react to missing the drone show? When Sydney NYE returned after the COVID-19 pandemic, latecomers to the Midnight Fireworks caused a crowd crush to occur in The Rocks and some even tried to watch from a pyro-laded Sydney Harbour Bridge. We expect the crowd to shift around The Rocks as this is the only potential vantage point left due to its uphill incline. Some may resort to watching from the Cahill Expressway & Sydney Harbour Bridge southern on-ramp walkways or even from a window of a tall building. Some may be clever enough to watch from Fleet Steps or in that vincinity.The crowd will likely then build up around Dawes Point, following the Vivid Light Walk if they are coming from that direction or throughout the CBD if they are showing up just for the drone show. This potential scenario we are predicting is significantly larger than the NYE2022 late crowd build-up, crush and security breaches. Notably, Vivid Sydney once had an even more serious but heavily under-reported crowd crush. Has Vivid Sydney learnt the lesson? Are they now underestimating the popularity of drone shows over Sydney Harbour? In any case, whether chaos ensues, or crowds are managed well, to spread the crowd out, Vivid Sydney should have been of the opinion – either more drone shows than last year or none at all.
As no extra drone shows were added before the opening weekend, which was another record-breaker in attendance, a couple of weeks ago, we would likely not find out how big the audience for the drone show is until the most popular Vivid Sydney night – the Saturday of the King’s Birthday long weekend – and by then, it is too late as there is only a week left of the event & whatever chaos would ensue the worst has already happened. People would have made plans for those 3 specific drone show nights and most people would likely be unable to change their plans to attend new dates. Drone shows are very difficult to book due to high demand so this may be the reason for only 3 drone shows this year (particularly as there was no Lights On! moment drone show like last year) but as we said before – either more than last year or none at all.
Anyway, back to the drone show itself, Love Is In The Air is a 10-minute drone show held at 9:10pm, assuming the weather is allowable for it to go ahead. The creative team behind the show is the same as last year’s Written In The Stars drone show with the technology provided by Australian Traffic Network, concept & direction by Vivid Sydney 2024 – Humanity Director, Gill Minervini & the soundtrack by Pee Wee Ferris (aka Pipi Le Oui). However, the show will be smaller than last year’s by 300 drones. In 2024, it will be a 700-drone show. While the theme of love is obvious, it will focus specifically on romantic love, telling a love story through drones with the creation of universal love symbols along the way.
After the drone show, we expect all but 2% of the crowd to leave Vivid Sydney. The remaining 98% will head home. Out of those heading home, 4% will walk to Martin Place to catch a bus, 9% to walk to Town Hall for the light rail while 87% will head to Circular Quay to catch a ferry or train. Out of those heading to Circular Quay, 6% will catch a ferry while 94% will catch a train. I don’t need to explain what happens next regarding trains but here are some tips for those heading to Circular Quay ferry wharves & train station.
For ferries, instead of waiting at Circular Quay, if you want to ultimately head to Pyrmont Bay, or a wharf west of Barangaroo, walk the direct route (20 minutes) or the Vivid Light Walk (46 minutes) to Barangaroo Wharf to catch the ferry. If it is urgent, remember there are private water taxi services available if they are not already booked.
For trains, instead of waiting at Circular Quay for a connecting train: If your station is on the Northern/North Shore/Western lines, walk the 10 minutes to Wynyard to catch a direct train home. If your station is on the Eastern Suburbs/Illawarra/South Coast line, walk the 13 minutes to Martin Place to catch a direct train home instead. If your station is on the Blue Mountains/Central Coast/Newcastle line, walk the direct route (35 minutes) or pass the time by walking the Vivid Light Walk (1 hour & 25 minutes) to Central for a direct train home.
Remember, the Vivid Light Walk switches off at 11pm so try & enjoy the lights before heading home to help spread out the ferry & train usage.
For more details on Love Is In The Air, click here.
The 2024 drone shows remain an exciting highlight as part of this year’s Vivid Sydney program & we are confident that everyone will be amazed by the artistry and innovation on display.
Each year, Vivid Sydney reviews and refreshes the program across Light, Music, Ideas & Food, with the focus on delivering a more impactful & refreshed experience for our audiences.
Although the number of shows has decreased, the duration & complexity of each performance are just as incredible. We encourage you to attend one of the drone show nights & enjoy the amazing view firsthand.
For more information on the 2024 drone shows & Vivid Sydney, please visit our website www.vividsydney.com.
‘Vivid Sydney’ 2024 – ‘Humanity’ Spokesperson
Due to a forecast of a thunderstorm with possible heavy falls, tonight’s Fire Kitchen & Lightscape are cancelled along with 7 Vivid Light Walk installations. The 7 installations are:
For Lightscape ticketholders, you will receive an email shortly from the event owner with further details, including how to rebook this experience or request a refund.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and remind those visiting Vivid Sydney this evening to keep an eye on our digital screens on the footprint for further updates.
Vivid Sydney
A thunderstorm is forecast for tomorrow, but no cancellations have been announced yet for tomorrow.
Queensland 38-10 New South Wales
A send off for New South Wales in the 8th minute following a dangerous tackle on Queensland’s Reece Walsh by New South Wales’s Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i ensured Queensland dominated Game 1 of State Of Origin 2024 to lead the series 1-0.
State Of Origin 2024 begun with Brisbane’s Story and Victoria Bridges, City Hall, the Tropical Dome & Reddacliff Place sculptures all lit up maroon from sunset at 5:01pm. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was also illuminated blue but for only 15 minutes from 5:45pm, before ‘flagship’ Sydney Spectacular, Vivid Sydney, started at 6pm. Also at that time, at Sydney’s Stadium Australia, the venue for Game 1 of State Of Origin 2024, an Under-15’s New South Wales RISE Boys exhibition rugby league match between Sky Blues & Navy Blues was held. Navy Blues won 40-4. At 7:15pm, the coin toss for the main match was held. New South Wales called it correctly & chose to kick off. Then, at 7:30pm, a New South Wales Blues flag display & marching band performed on the field before a light & pyrotechnic show got the main game ball brought out by 7-time surfing World Champion, Layne Beachley, who was greeted by a Blue Heeler. New South Wales Origin greats, Paul Gallen, Trent Hodkinson & Josh Reynolds, then brought the State Of Origin shield out onto the ground. The Final Countdown by Europe then played to a light show before the team line-ups were introduced to the crowd via the screens around the stadium.
The New South Wales side then walked from their Centre Of Excellence across the road through the former athlete transfer tunnel from The Games of the XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 to Stadium Australia where they ran past flame signs saying ‘NSW’ & through a banner, where they met the Queensland side on the field, who came from the stadium’s changing rooms. The customary Welcome To Country, conducted this match by Savannah Flynn, and performance of the National Anthem, performed this match with guitar by Australian Idol 2024 winner, Dylan Wright, then followed before a countdown on the big screens signalled the approach to kick-off.
Anyway, to the game. It started just under 4 minutes late. Queensland opened the scoring with a converted try in the 4th minute by Ben Hunt. 3 minutes later, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i dangerously tackled Reece Walsh, knocking him clean out. Reece Walsh didn’t have the ball at the time of the tackle, having just passed it after been in possession of it only momentarily. Reece Walsh was immediately found by sideline doctors to be suffering from Category 1 symptoms of a head injury, resulting in him being immediately ruled out from the rest of the match. Once his condition improved, he was later formally interchanged & Queensland’s brought into the interchange their 18th man. The referee had significant decisions to make too, producing a shock, though unsurprisingly given how the tackle was played even if the outcome was accidental. He sent off Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i for the entire match, only the 6th time to ever happen in a State Of Origin match, the 3rd in a year & the fastest ever in State Of Origin history, beating the previous record by just over 50 minutes. New South Wales was now down a man. Queensland were also awarded a penalty goal as a result, which was kicked by Valentine Holmes, expanding Queensland’s lead by 2 points.
5 minutes later, a kick from Jerome Luai across the field under the Queensland defence allowed James Tedesco to find a gap to ground the unpossessed ball over the tryline to open New South Wales’s account in the 2024 series. His try was converted, narrowing Queensland’s lead to just 2 points. There was hope for New South Wales but over the next 10 minutes, every 5 minutes, Queensland easily found massive holes in New South Wales’s defence (being a man down doesn’t help) allowing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to score 2 easy tries, expanding the lead to 14 points. The rest of the half was uneventful apart from the announcement that Reece Walsh had passed a head injury assessment but as he was initially suffering Category 1 symptoms, renewed play on the field is not risked so he stayed in the dressing rooms. At half-time, the score was 20-6 in favour of Queensland.
During half-time, a Little Origin match was held.
New South Wales went in the 2nd half putting the send-off behind them. This attitude initially paid dividends when Zac Lomax reached for the heavens to score an unconverted try just 3 minutes into the half. Despite the missed conversion, New South Wales had renewed hope, with their deficit reduced to 10 points. They were now in total commitment for 23 minutes despite being unable to find the tryline & Queensland having 2 try attempts being ruled ‘No Try’ during that time period. Then the straw that broke the camel’s back: New South Wales’ defence barely held onto Ben Hunt, who ran the final 20 metres to score a converted try for Queensland in the 66th minute. This was followed in the next 13 minutes with 2 more converted tries, 1 from Xavier Coates, who leaped for the boundary, after Daly Cherry-Evans kicked the ball 25 metres out, to score before the ball went dead and a 3rd from Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, running 20 metres from the tryline after Queensland broke through theoretically a 1-man defence from New South Wales, giving him a hat-trick & Queensland the win in Game 1 of the 3-game series.
All successful conversions were kicked by Valentine Holmes for Queensland & Nicholas Hynes for New South Wales.
The final score was Queensland 38-10 New South Wales, in front of a crowd of 77,214. It was Queensland’s biggest victory ever in Sydney. Player of the match was Daly Cherry-Evans. Queensland is now just 1 win away from a 2024 series victory. The Story Bridge in Brisbane shone maroon the rest of the night.
Yeah, (pretty had to recover from that) playing at this level, uhm, playing with 12.
I thought ‘You know, we put ourselves actually in positions at times where, you know, we were quite dominant but, um, I guess, you know, fatigue comes in at some stage but, uh, you know, playing along the game then, you know, when you’re playing sort of with a man down, it’s, uh, you got to sort of really try and bury the opposition into the corners and, you know, fatigue finds you at some stage, um, but, you know, I am actually really super proud of their efforts if I say’. Look, individuals are out on their feet, um, yeah, so, it, it made it a bit tough but, you know, 1 thing I do know about this, this group: They’ve really shifted the dime on where they see & how hard they want to work, uh, for the jersey so that’s something there that we will, you know, continue to push going forward.
Michael Maguire, New South Wales Blues coach
The team’s adapted to adversity the last 3 years. Um, you know you think back to last year, you know, Adelaide. We, we had both our wingers go off the field. We had centres playing in on, on the wing. We had, you know, David Fifita playing in the centres. Ben Hunt was playing in the centres. The team’s been accustomed to adapt to adversity & um, that’s no different to tonight. Um, you know, I thought ‘Hammer’ (Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow) was great just slipping back into that fullback position & everyone else. Felise Kaufusi came on the field and done a great job, you know.
His (Daly Cherry-Evans) preparation for his team was great & uh, we have got so much room. We have got so much to go with our footy. Uh, I thought we were so far off with our footy tonight, um, but that’s, that’s all to come.
Billy Slater, Queensland Maroons coach
Game 2 will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, June 26 at 8:05pm AEST & Game 2 of an expanded 3-game Women’s State Of Origin, which New South Wales is leading, is tomorrow (Thursday 6th June) at 7:45pm at Hunter Stadium.
Updated 9:30am Sunday the 2nd of June
Due to a very high chance of rain, tonight’s Vivid Light Walk, Tumbalong Nights, Fire Kitchen & Lightscape are cancelled.
For Lightscape ticketholders, you will receive an email shortly from the event owner with further details, including how to rebook this experience.
Since our initial post, the forecast for Sunday the 2nd of June has improved. As a result, Sydney Spectaculars no longer expects a cancellation for that date.
Ignatius Jones AM, the creative director of Sydney New Year’s Eve (NYE) between 1996 and 2001 & Vivid Sydney between 2011 and 2019, has died suddenly aged 67, following a short illness.
He was also the creative director of the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000.
The iconic artistic direction he did for the Olympics & the Millennium propelled Sydney’s events into global popular culture.
In 2001, he was also artistic director of the Centenary Of Federation celebrations, which had a parade throughout Sydney as its’ centrepiece.
Between 2011 & 2015, he also artistic director of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.
In 2017, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 Australian Event Awards, which was followed a year later with him becoming a full member of the Order Of Australia, General Division, for his “significant service to entertainment”, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Whilst he made most of his event achievements in Sydney, he also worked internationally:
Before his iconic career in events, he was a musician, being a singer with the shock rock band Jimmy & The Boys, which introduced shock theatrics to Australia, before forming a swing band, Pardon Me Boys, with his sister, Monica Trapaga. His sister also performed the John Paul Young classic, Love Is In The Air, at the Millennium celebrations as well as doing sets at the Sydney NYE segments: 4 Kids (1997-2001), Carnaval (1999-2001) & Hot Jazz In The City (2001).
Ignatius Jones retired in 2022 & passed away in his birth country, the Philippines, in Iloilo City on May 7 at 9:30pm Sydney time.
He will be remembered for an Eternity.
Below the below quote, you can find highlights from his 3 most iconic Sydney events: the Midnight Fireworks of Sydney NYE1999: Sydney’s Millennium, the G’Day Opening Ceremony segment & the Closing Night Harbour Spectacular of The Games Of The XXVIIth Olympiad: Sydney 2000 & Vivid Sydney 2019.
We are absolutely devastated to announce the passing of my brother, Juan Ignacio Trapaga, the formidable Ignatius Jones.
We love you.
Monica Trapaga, sister of Ignatius Jones
Last Wednesday night, at the Tom Hughes Oration, a public speaking Liberal party fundraiser for the Federal seat of Berowra, held at the Sydney Opera House’s Studio, the Opposition Leader of Australia, Peter Dutton, compared the social significance of the crime that occurred at pro-Arab protests at the Sydney Opera House on the 9th of October last year during an Israeli Solidarity Opera House Western Sails Illumination after the attack on that state by Hamas to that of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, describing both event’s social significance as “akin” to one another:
While no one was killed during the October 9 protests, the events at the Sydney Opera House were akin to a Port Arthur moment in terms of their social significance.
In my judgement, Prime Minister Albanese has not risen to that moment.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
On 28th of April 1996, 35 people were killed & 23 others were wounded in a mass shooting at Port Arthur, Tasmania, prompting then-Prime Minister John Howard, who was only elected to office just over a month prior, to significantly amend Australia’s gun laws.
Tom Hughes, a Liberal politician, was Australia’s Attorney-General from 1967 to 1971.
The next morning, Peter Dutton made a press conference where he was questioned on his statement by an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) journalist:
Do you stand by comparing the pro-Palestinian rally on the steps of the Opera House last year to the Port Arthur massacre? How is the social significance of these 2 events in any way comparable?
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Journalist
The Opposition Leader responded saying he would not have tolerated antisemitic protests, just as he would not tolerate any other minority-directed hatred:
I, I, I made the very important point last night that in 1996 when we saw a tragic loss of life, uh, in Port Arthur with that massacre there that John Howard, the Prime Minister at the time stood up & was strong as a leader, not weak.
He stood up for what was right, not what was wrong & he led the Australian public on a path that we still benefit from today. That is, gun law reform & we had a chance, I think, for the Prime Minister to see the controversy that was created, uh, after October 7 in our country, those dreadful scenes on the steps of the Opera House.
Uh, fortunately there’s no loss of life in our country, uh, as a result of that protest, of course, no one is suggesting there is but what we saw was a rise in antisemitism where we’ve got armed guards outside schools, at the moment, in our country. There are people of Jewish faith who are worried about going to a synagogue or worried about going to a Jewish supermarket or gathering in communities. We’ve got Holocaust survivors who sought refuge in our country & have felt safe for decades under Liberal and Labor Governments, are now talking about wanting to leave Australia because they feel unsafe so, yes, did I think John Howard stood up in ’96 when he needed to in our country’s interests?
Absolutely & did Anthony Albanese stand up and show the strength John Howard demonstrated and change the course of our country’s history? No, he didn’t. He was weak. He’s been trying to walk both sides of the street when it comes to this issue. He’s trying to tell people in Western Sydney 1 story and people in Dover Heights a completely different story & Australians are seeing through it.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
John Howard, who comes from the same Liberal-Nationals Coalition as Peter Dutton, was Prime Minister (PM) of Australia from 1996 before being replaced by Labor’s Kevin Rudd in 2007. Party in-fighting saw a leadership spill in 2010. Australia’s Deputy PM, Julia Gillard, replace Kevin Rudd. in June 2010, who was 3 years later, replaced by Kevin Rudd after more party in-fighting resulted in another leadership spill. Kevin Rudd and his Labor party lost the Federal election & thus, the Prime Ministership less than 3 months later in September 2013.
Dover Heights is a suburb in eastern Sydney, where just about half (49.9%) of the population follows the religion of Judaism while western Sydney has a significant Arab minority with at least 8% following the religion of Islam.
I think the point of that question though is the events that were compared are very different.
Unknown ABC Journalist
But, but, hang on, look, look at the comments that I made, uh & you can’t, the basis of that question that has come out of Canberra, uh, is obviously a Canberra-based question from the ABC. If you look at the facts of what I said, I don’t think you can have the, the, the, the, presumption in that question that you asked so I would say to whoever it is from the Canberra bureau, uh, to look at what I had to say last night because I think they’ve set you up with that question if I’ve might say.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
Canberra is the capital city of Australia and thus, the home of Australian Federal political news bureaus.
Well, Mike Burgess last year said ‘words matter’ when maintaining social cohesion in Australia. Did you breach that advice in your speech last night?
Unknown ABC Journalist
Mike Burgess is Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
As Mike Burgess said, no. Again, the Labor Party were running this line through the ABC last year and Mike Burgess came out to say he was making no reference to comments that I made whatsoever so, I’m not going to be tarnished by the ABC. I’m not going to cower because of the ABC and other left wing media organisations in our country. My job is to stand up for what is best in our country’s interests. My job is to share our vision with the Australian people about what we want for the future of our country.
Peter Dutton, Opposition Leader Of Australia
We understand Mike Burgess has not responded to Peter Dutton’s recent social significance comparison. Port Arthur’s Federal Parliament member, the Member For Lyons, Brian Williams, responded to Mr Dutton’s comments though:
From the unspeakable tragedy & horror of what occurred at Port Arthur in 1996, the Australian people put politics aside and came together in common purpose.
As the local member here, I would ask Peter Dutton to reflect on that & refrain from making such divisive and inflammatory comments using the tragedy in our community.
Brian Williams, Member For Lyons.
The Sydney Opera House featured a projection of a black ribbon on its western sails last night in tribute to the 6 victims who succumbed to their injuries from the stabbings at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday afternoon.
Due to how this projection came about, this projection is not considered a Sydney Spectacular.
Sydney Spectaculars 
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