The Ultra Music Festival (UMF)is a three-day outdoor, electronic-music festival that happens every March in downtown Miami, Florida.
Ultra is held jointly with Winter Music Conference(WMC)- an annual week-long electronic music conference held every March in Miami Beach, Florida. The highlight of the WMC is the Ultra. The biggest names in the music industry, like Madonna, Duran Duran David Guetta, Black Eyed Peas to name a few, have graced the festival. Line up of the artists who will perform at the festival are announced via the various Ultra Music Festival online channels.
UMF is one of the largest and highest grossing music festivals in the world. It is a unique event with many performances from different electronic music genres. If you are an Electronic Dance Music fan, then this is your scene. Fans come together to dance and party outside Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami. You can dance to your heart’s content like nobody’s watching. You’ll find a diverse crowd coming together to groove to disco, techno, hardcore, pop, and industrial music. Stages named after a country where Ultra Music Festivals are held will be set. Performances are accompanied by laser shows and cutting edge projection art, making it very colorful, fun and full of lights.
If you want to take a break from watching your favorite artists perform, you can enjoy a wide variety of food and drinks from the various vendors at the festival grounds. Food will be available day and night. Take note however, that you cannot bring food and beverages into the festival. Leave your credit cards, and trade them for cash. They don’t take credit cards at the grounds.
There are a few items that you need to remember and pack. When you are in the midst of a crowd of sweaty people, a small towel can come handy. You may also want to bring your hand sanitizer. Remember this is an outdoor event, and Miami in March is already hot, dress appropriately, and do not forget to pack up your sunscreen and drink a lot of water.
And speaking of things you can and cannot bring, there is a long list you can check in their website. Topping the list is illegal substances, drugs and drug paraphernalia. Undercover police will be everywhere to monitor and enforce such violations.
Organizers announced that the 2015 edition will be held on March 27-29, 2015 at Bayfront Park, in downtown Miami. Beginning with this edition, Ultra Music Festival has made an announcement that it will only allow those 18 years and older to attend the festival.
If you want to attend the next festival, book in advance. Hotels closest to the festival fill up in advance. Plus, the UMF is held around spring break, college students flock to Miami to party and drawn by the festival. Unlike other music festivals, there is no camping on the grounds. Use public transportation that can drop you off at the site since parking will be difficult.
Tickets for the Ultra Music Festival sell out pretty quick. You can purchase General Admission (GA) or VIP tickets for Ultra Music Festival, both options are 3-day passes that allow you access to each day of the festival. VIP ticket holders can enter through the VIP entrance, and have exclusive seating and viewing area of the Ultra Main Stage, Mega Structure, and Live Stage, as well as private bars and restrooms. Tickets can be purchased exclusively at their website. Exercise extreme care with your tickets as lost or stolen tickets are not re-issued.
Let’s take a quick look at how this big event came to be. Business partners Russell Faibisch, Alex Omes, and Bruce Braxton founded the festival in 1999. It started out as a one-day event at the end of the Winter Music Conference in 1999. From 1999 to 2006, it was a one-day festival. Because it was a major success, it became a two-day festival from 2007 to 2010 , and starting 2011 onwards it became a three-day annual event.
Other Ultra Music Festivals are held in Spain- Ibiza, Argentina – Buenos Aires, Chile – Santiago, South Korea -Seoul, Brazil – Sao Paulo, South Africa – Capetown and Johannesburg, Croatia – Croatia and Hvar.