Larger than expected crowds prompt safety fears at Vivid Sydney

Organisers of Sydney’s Vivid festival are urging people to plan their attendance at the event following a larger-than-expected number of attendees at a drone show on Sydney Harbour last night led to crowd congestion.

Media reports and comments and images posted to social media showed the Circular Quay foreshore and areas around transport hubs tightly packed with attendees with a number of posts expressing concerns over potential crushing.

With the festival having drawn huge crowds to the Sydney CBD during the past two weeks, a number of reports saw attendees claiming that they became "trapped" near the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay.

Footage posted by ABC journalist Nick McLaren just after 10pm on Saturday shows what appears to be tens of thousands of people tightly packed within barriers as they shuffle back to the train station.

He noted it was “weird” how organisers had “fenced off the whole of Circular Quay ferry terminal and railway station from the north and west, creating this build up”.

The reported crowd concerns came shortly after event organisers urged festival goers to avoid Circular Quay.

As of 8.30pm last night Vivid Sydney posted on social media “we are experiencing large crowds for the #vividsydney drone show this evening.

“Please avoid Circular Quay. The show will also be live streamed at Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour on the big screen and on the Vivid Sydney Facebook page.”

A Vivid Sydney spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia on Sunday the event is “incredibly popular” and “in its 14th year is again attracting crowds of all ages”.

The spokesperson advised that the drone shows - which are held over three nights and screened throughout the festival and online - draw large crowds, noting “Vivid Sydney organisers work with government partners and agencies to plan and deliver a successful and safe event, including to manage the crowds that turned out to see last night's drone show.

“Event and security personnel monitor crowd flow and 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 and challenging and are grateful to the public for their patience and cooperation

Festival Director Gill Minervini acknowledged that some people had an "uncomfortable" experience at yesterday's show, but disputed that control measures were inadequate.

Advising that all agencies working at the event, including NSW Police, ambulance and Transport for NSW, had vast experience in managing big crowds, and were prepared, Minervini stated “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, and have continued to do so today, as we do every day with this event."

Minervini reiterated a statement this morning from NSW Health Minister Ryan Park that extra safety measures have been put in place, including a bigger police presence.

Minervini added "Police will we have a lot of officers on site, we will be closing some of the areas earlier when they're full, and a variety of other operational things are in place for tonight.

"So yes, we're hoping that it will be a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone."

Commenting on the crowds, Tourism and Transport Taskforce Chief Executive, Margy Osmond told the ABC “what's happening here is that people are viewing the city as somewhere you go to have a good time whether it be a festival, whether it's going out to dinner or bringing the kids in to see the sights.”

Images: Large crowds at Vivid Sydney on Circular Quay last night. Credits: (top and below): X/Nick McLaren and (middle): X/Anth0888.