City of Perth Skyworks - Incidents

Incidents

In recent years some spectators have acted in an undesirable manner, detracting from the enjoyment of others. Reports of unruly and drunken behaviour at the show, of which some have led to fights and scuffles with the police, have become increasingly common. At the 2006 Skyworks the Western Australian Police successfully mounted an operation to minimise such behaviour.

In the late 1990s several small fires also erupted in the Kings Park bushland due to people igniting sparklers at the event. This led to the eventual banning of them.

Police and emergency service officials came close to cancelling the 2007 Skyworks due to extreme heat and strong winds. During the display, fires broke out on three of the fireworks barges. No one was injured, but nearby spectators had to be evacuated due to the thick smoke that blew towards the area. The show's finale was cut short and nearly a quarter of the planned fireworks display was lost due to the fires. The 2012 Skyworks were also nearly canceled due to extreme rain (so powerful, in fact, that a piece of tin seemed to have been stolen from a construction site and used as shelter; it was found in a nearby tree the very next morning). The rain and thunder continued into the Skyworks, which onlookers said added to the experience.

At the 2010 Skyworks alcohol was completely banned to prevent unruly behavior, leading to a reduced crowd of 300,000 people at the foreshore.