ELEVATE Sydney, a new festival held 1-5 January, unveiled the largest drone display in the
Southern Hemisphere. The ELEVATE SkyShow, lit up Sydney Harbour for the first time with
500 drones, revitalising people’s imagination in a time of uncertainty.
Featuring cutting-edge technology, art and a First Nations narrative, the inaugural ELEVATE
SkyShow blended art and technology to create an entirely new form of night-time
entertainment. The 500 Intel® drones performed in between the Sydney Opera House and
the Sydney Harbour Bridge to a powerful and moving soundtrack.
AGB Events was commissioned by the NSW Government through tourism organisation
Destination NSW to create and produce ELEVATE Sydney (elevatesydney.com). This
summer festival was designed to activate Sydney’s CBD and AGB’s SkyShow provided an
epic conclusion at the end of every night for thousands lining the Sydney Harbour foreshore.
AGB Events assembled a team of leading creatives to design the show, comprising Anthony
Bastic Creative Director, First Nations Advisor Rhoda Roberts AO, Rhyan Clapham
(DOBBY) and Senior Producer Olivia Bradley.
Set to an original soundtrack composed by artist DOBBY, the drones danced to powerful
orchestral sounds, energetic beats, and indigenous language, bringing First Nations culture
to the forefront. The drones served as flying pixels animating an authentic and thrilling
narrative of Greater Sydney, paying homage to the ancient wisdom of the Eora People, the
unmatched beauty of the Australian flora and fauna and the pure joy of experiencing
Summer in Sydney.
To bring the breathtaking vision to life above Sydney Harbour, AGB Events collaborated with
Australian drone consulting company Mirragin and world class drone experts from Intel.