Latest news with #droneShow
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Huge change to Vivid Sydney 2025 - and the popular show thing that will be missing this year
Vivid has scrapped its drone show and made its famous light walk free for the millions of visitors expected to attend the spectacle this year. The annual event will kick off on Friday and run until June 14 with more than 40 installations and projections set up across Sydney. The drone show, which has been part of the festival since 2021, has been ditched due to safety concerns with Destination NSW confirming the decision way back in March. Concerns had been raised the entertainment would draw in too many people and create dangerous conditions, after thousands of festival-goers were caught in a bottleneck while trying to leave the western side of Circular Quay last year. 'The changes required to mitigate the safety risk at Vivid Sydney 2025 created a significant increase in cost,' Destination NSW said. 'In the broader context of rising costs for staging events, Destination NSW has decided this is not the best allocation of resources.' Fortunately, there is some good news for those planning to visit Vivid 2025. This year's festival will have fewer paid ticketed events from private sponsors, more projections and installations across Sydney and a wider variety of free events. Vivid had previously charged visitors to attend two attractions that had been set up in 2023. The Light Walk: Lightscape in the Royal Botanic Garden cost $30 while Dark Spectrum set visitors back $35. The light walk will now be free with arts minister John Graham stressing the efforts organisers put into ensuring Vivid is as budget-friendly as possible. 'This year's festival is helping people face a cost-of-living crisis by increasing the number of free events, which is great news if you want a good night out without blowing the budget,' he said. 'We are all feeling the pinch in terms of the economy and cost-of-living crisis. 'I really wanted Vivid to respond to that. My job as director is to renovate and refresh the festival every year. 'We want audiences to come back time after time, and not think, "Oh, it's the same old Vivid". We want to keep everyone guessing.' The free light walk will feature illuminations on eight new attractions, including the Museum of Sydney, Barangaroo Metro and the Luna Park big wheel. Vivid is set to feature several high-profile artists, including several projections from Archibald Prize winner Vincent Namatjira and artwork for the Sydney Opera House by the late artist and HIV/AIDS activist David McDiarmid. Vivid lights will also return to Martin Place for the first time since 2018. On top of Vivid Light, the event will host Vivid Music, Vivid Food and Vivid Ideas. All four categories are based on the theme 'What's in a Dream'. Vivid Music will run across several venues, including Darling Harbour, the Opera House and Carriageworks with performers including Sigur Ros, Winston Surfshirt and Japanese Breakfast. TV cook Nigella Lawson has curated three dinners in the new pedestrian tunnel at Martin Place for Vivid Food. Vivid Ideas will host a keynote address by Time magazine design boss D.W. Pine entitled Where Do Ideas Come From?
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Outrage in Greece after 'Adidas advert' appears to show drone shoe 'booting' the Acropolis - as Greek government vows to take 'legal action'
The Greek government has filed a lawsuit after a drone show seemingly advertising Adidas appeared over the Acropolis on Friday. Illuminated drones appeared to form a branded shoe which 'kicked' the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Athens, Greece. Images plastered across social media also show the drones assembling to illustrate the instantly recognisable logo of the German-born sports retailer - as well as the words 'Feel Fast'. The Acropolis, a rocky outcrop over Athens, houses the Parthenon Temple - a symbol of Athens' Golden age that was built in 432 B.C. to honour the goddess Athena, and is one of the most visited sites worldwide. Greece's Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in an interview on Friday that the show used the sacred site for commercial purposes without the permission of the Culture Ministry. She argued that it went against a national law for the protection of antiquities. According to the Constitution of Greece, 'the protection of the natural and cultural environment constitutes a duty of the State and a right of every person'. The main legislation governing the protection of cultural heritage is Law 3028/2002. 'It's like the Adidas shoe kicking the Acropolis,' Mendoni told local Skai radio. 'A lawsuit has been already filed against anyone responsible.' The drones also appeared to form the words 'Feel Fast'. Adidas said 'all required permits were received and adhered to' Infuriated residents of Athens took to social media to express their outrage at the insensitive advert. 'The sacred hill of acropolis is being used to promote Adidas,' one wrote on X/Twitter as they called for a boycott of the sports brand. 'This should be illegal.' A second chimed in: 'They don't respect Acropolis.' To which a third replied: 'Shoe over Acropolis - you have to be particularly culturally insensitive, uncreative and money-fuelled to pull this off.' In disbelief, another questioned: 'Using the Acropolis as a billboard? Adidas just projected drones over one of humanity's most sacred heritage sites — for a shoe ad. 'This isn't innovation. It's vandalism out of scale,' they added. Adidas said 'all required permits were received and adhered to'. 'No image of the Acropolis monument was used by Adidas for advertising or other purposes,' the company said in an emailed statement. Infuriated residents of Athens took to social media to express their outrage at the insensitive advert The culture ministry said it was also investigating whether the licensing procedure for the drone overflight had been followed. The move comes weeks after Greece dismissed a request by director Yorgos Lathimos to film scenes of his upcoming 'Bugonia' movies on the Acropolis hill on the grounds they were incompatible with what the ancient Greek monument symbolised.
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Greece takes legal action over drone show advertising Adidas near Acropolis
ATHENS, May 16 (Reuters) - Greece has filed a lawsuit over the alleged violation of a law for the protection of antiquities by what appeared to be a drone show advertising sports retailer Adidas ( opens new tab near the Acropolis, its culture minister said on Friday. Images on social media showed illuminated drones forming the logo and a shoe by Adidas with the Acropolis hill, a UNESCO world heritage site, in the background. The Acropolis, a rocky outcrop over Athens, houses the Parthenon Temple - a symbol of Athens' Golden age that was built in 432 B.C. to honour the goddess Athena, and is one of the most visited sites worldwide. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in an interview on Friday that the show used the Acropolis for commercial purposes against a national law and took place without prior approval from the Culture Ministry. "It's like the Adidas shoe kicking the Acropolis," Mendoni told local Skai radio. "A lawsuit has been already filed against anyone responsible." Adidas said "all required permits were received and adhered to". "No image of the Acropolis monument was used by Adidas for advertising or other purposes," the company said in an emailed statement. The culture ministry said it was also investigating whether the licensing procedure for the drone overflight had been followed. The move comes weeks after Greece dismissed a request by director Yorgos Lathimos to film scenes of his upcoming "Bugonia" movies on the Acropolis hill on the grounds they were incompatible with what the ancient Greek monument symbolised.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Greece Takes Legal Action over Drone Show Advertising Adidas near Acropolis
Greece has filed a lawsuit over the alleged violation of a law for the protection of antiquities by what appeared to be a drone show advertising sports retailer Adidas near the Acropolis, its culture minister said on Friday. Images on social media showed illuminated drones forming the logo and a shoe by Adidas with the Acropolis hill, a UNESCO world heritage site, in the background, Reuters reported. The Acropolis, a rocky outcrop over Athens, houses the Parthenon Temple - a symbol of Athens' Golden age that was built in 432 B.C. to honour the goddess Athena, and is one of the most visited sites worldwide. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in an interview on Friday that the show used the Acropolis for commercial purposes against a national law and took place without prior approval from the Culture Ministry. "It's like the Adidas shoe kicking the Acropolis," Mendoni told local Skai radio. "A lawsuit has been already filed against anyone responsible." Adidas declined to comment. The culture ministry said it was also investigating whether the licensing procedure for the drone overflight had been followed. The move comes weeks after Greece dismissed a request by director Yorgos Lathimos to film scenes of his upcoming "Bugonia" movies on the Acropolis hill on the grounds they were incompatible with what the ancient Greek monument symbolised.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Greece files lawsuit against Adidas for ad showing a ‘shoe kicking the Acropolis'
Athens has launched legal action against Adidas for what appeared to be a drone show promoting the sports brand near the Acropolis. The Greek culture minister said the show could constitute a breach of antiquities law. Images circulating on social media depicted illuminated drones forming the Adidas logo and a shoe, with the Acropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site, providing the backdrop. The ancient citadel, home to the Parthenon Temple, a symbol of Athens' Golden Age, is one of the most visited sites globally. Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said that the show exploited the Acropolis for commercial gain, violating national law and bypassing mandatory approval from the Culture Ministry. "It's like the Adidas shoe kicking the Acropolis," Ms Mendoni told the local radio station Skai. "A lawsuit has been already filed against anyone responsible." Adidas has been approached, but declined to comment on the matter. The culture ministry said it was also investigating whether the licensing procedure for the drone overflight had been followed. The move comes weeks after Greece dismissed a request by director Yorgos Lathimos, known for the films The Favourite, Poor Things and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, to film scenes of his upcoming Bugonia movie on the Acropolis hill. The science fiction comedy sees two conspiracists kidnap a CEO, played by Emma Stone, as they are convinced she is an alien. Greece dismissed the filmmaker's request on the grounds the film was incompatible with what the Acropolis symbolises. Potential damage to the Ancient Greek monument has long been a concern of authorities. In 2023, the country imposed a tourist cap, limiting visitor numbers at the Acropolis to 20,000 per day. It previously received about 23,000 visitors per day at peak. 'That's a huge number,' Ms Mendoni said at the time. 'Obviously tourism is desirable for the country, for all of us. But we must work out how excessive tourism won't harm the monument.' Limitations also vary depending on the time, with tourists having to book a time slot in advance.
