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Ultra Music Festival

Coordinates: 25°47′05″N 80°11′13″W / 25.784773°N 80.186934°W / 25.784773; -80.186934
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Ultra Music Festival
File:Ultra Music Festival Logo.jpg
GenreEDM, house, trance, dance, electro house, D&B, hardstyle, dubstep
Location(s)Miami, Florida, U.S. (main location)
Ibiza, Spain
Buenos Aires, Argentina
São Paulo, Brazil
Santiago, Chile
Seoul, South Korea
Split/Hvar, Croatia
Johannesburg/Cape Town, South Africa
Bogotá, Colombia,
Tokyo, Japan,
Years active1999-present (Miami)
2007-present (Ibiza)
2008-present (São Paulo)
2012-present (Buenos Aires)
2012-present (Seoul)
2012-present (Santiago)
2013-present (Split/Hvar)
2014-present (Johannesburg/Cape Town)
2014-present (Bogotá)
2014-present (Tokyo)
Founded1999, Miami, Florida, United States
WebsiteOfficial Website
File:Ultra-music-festival-week-1-miami-fl-2013.jpg
Ultra Music Festival 2013
The Ultra Music Festival in Downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park, as seen from the Grand Doubletree, 26 March 2011.
The Ultra Music Festival on 27 March 2010 in Miami's Bicentennial Park. This picture shows the event simultaneously occurring during Earth Hour.
A panoramic view of Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida during the 2013 Ultra Music Festival. This photo was taken by Robert Giordano on Thursday, March 21, 2013, the day before Ultra's second weekend.

Ultra Music Festival (UMF) is an annual outdoor electronic music festival that occurs in March in the city of Miami, Florida, United States. The festival coincides with the annual Winter Music Conference, also held in Miami. In 2013 the two Ultra weekends were held on the weekends that began and ended WMC.

Ultra is held in Downtown Miami in Bayfront Park. It was a one-day festival from 1999 to 2006, a two-day festival from 2007 to 2010, and was a three-day festival in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, a record 155,000 people per day attended the festival.[1] In 2013, for the first time in festival history, UMF took place across two consecutive weekends. In 2014, the festival returned to a one-weekend format, taking place on Friday, March 28 through Sunday March 30th. Presale Tickets went on sale online May 21, 2013 selling out in a matter of seconds; standard priced tickets sold out on the last day before the event.

Other Ultra festivals are held in Ibiza, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Seoul, South Korea; Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, Split, Croatia and Hvar, Croatia. In December, 2013 Ultra Worldwide announced to first edition of the festival in Bogotá, Colombia to be held on February 20 & 21 2014.

Although they share names, UMF was not directly tied to Ultra Records, an electronic music record label. However, the two entities did announce a "global alliance" in August 2012, which would allow them to collaborate on marketing and cross-promotion.[2]

History

The Beach

Ultra Music Festival was founded in 1999 by business partners Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes and Bruce Braxton. The first festival was held as a one-day event at the end of the Winter Music Conference in 1999 with performances by Rabbit in the Moon and DJ Baby Anne. The event was held on South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, and was a major success. In March 2000, the festival returned to South Beach as a one-day event; the festival was met with even more success and was renewed immediately for a third year.

Growth

Because of the massive rise in attendance between 1999 and 2000, festival coordinators decided to relocate to Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami for the third annual event. UMF continued to bring the biggest names in electronic dance music to Miami with performances by Tiësto, EC Twins, Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Sander Kleinenberg, Photek, Josh Wink, p.a.w.n. LASERS, DJ Craze, and Rabbit in the Moon from 2001 to 2005. With the record-breaking attendance of the seventh annual UMF in 2005, the festival was again relocated to a smaller (by area) venue, Bicentennial Park, for 2006. In 2007, with Winter Music Conference in full swing, Ultra Music Festival held its first two-day event at Bicentennial Park with a record breaking 50,000+ concert goers in attendance. Ultra Music Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary March 28–29, 2008 with performances by Tiësto, Underworld, Justice, Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren, MSTRKRFT, deadmau5, Annie Mac, Eric Prydz, Ferry Corsten, Calvin Harris, Moby, The Crystal Method, Boys Noize, Benny Benassi, Armand van Helden, Duck Sauce, David Guetta, Jes, Enur, Pete Tong, Jackal & Hyde, Dj MYREN from Iran and Rabbit in the Moon.

With estimated attendance over 70,000, the festival set a new City of Miami record for number of tickets sold at a single event. The 11th annual UMF occurred March 27–28, 2009; the lineup including more crossover acts and live bands like The Black Eyed Peas, The Prodigy, The Ting Tings, Santigold, Crystal Castles, The Whip, and Perry Farrell. The 12th annual UMF took place March 26–27, 2010, with headlining performances again by Tiësto and deadmau5, as well as performances by David Guetta, Orbital, Little Boots, Sasha & Digweed, Above & Beyond, and The Bloody Beetroots. Each stage was accompanied with visual arts provided by VJs Vello Virkhaus, Psyberpixie, and Cozer. The festival sold out for the first time with over 100,000 attendees, where it was announced that the 13th annual event would take place over the course of three days in March 2011.

2012

Ultra Music Festival 2012 was held on March 23, 24, 25 at Bayfront Park.

Early bird pre-sale tickets for Ultra Music Festival 2012 sold out within 20 minutes (seconds according to the Ultra Music Festival Facebook Page). Shortly after, pre-sale tickets increased from $149 to $229. This is also the second year that tickets for individual days did not become available for sale. A special appearance by Madonna the day after the international release of her twelfth studio album MDNA was held at the second day of the festival. Thereafter tickets for the 14th anniversary of the Festival quickly rose from $229 to $299 just one week after going on sale.

In January, tickets for three-day general admission sold out.[3]

2013

The 2013 edition of the festival was held over two weekends, March 15 to 17, and March 22 to 24, in honor of its fifteenth anniversary. Both of these weekends coincided with the beginning and end of Miami Music Week and the Winter Music Conference. Phase one of the festival lineup was officially revealed in January 2013, confirming appearances by David Guetta, deadmau5, and Tiësto on both weekends, along with Swedish House Mafia, who used the finale of the festival on Weekend 2 to serve as the finale of their farewell tour "One Last Tour".[4][5] Pretty Lights would also perform at the festival accompanied by bass-beat DJ Futtize for the latter's Birthday (b. March 26).[6]

On January 7, 2013, after organizers requested additional road closures for the event, Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff introduced a resolution calling for disapproval of the second weekend, believing that allowing the event to be held across two weekends would be "disruptive to the local business community and area residents due to noise, nuisance behavior of festival goers, and grid lock traffic," also alleging that "about 70 to 80 percent of these kids are on some sort of mind-altering drug."[7][8] The city council voted in favor of continuing with the second weekend on January 10, 2013, charging the organizers $500,000 for police and fire services.[9]

2014

For 2014, the festival returned to a single weekend, March 28 through the 30th. Phase one of the festival lineup was unveiled in December 2013, confirming headline appearances by major acts such as Armin van Buuren, Afrojack, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Hardwell, Fedde Le Grand, Krewella, New World Punx (Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten), Nicky Romero, Tiësto, and Zedd.[10] After being diagnosed with a blocked gallbladder and going back to Sweden for surgery, Avicii was replaced by Deadmau5 as the final act on the main stage for Saturday.[11]

Ultra 2014 Main Stage.

Notable performances during the festival included the premiere of Eric Prydz's new live show "Holo",[12] the debut of Diplo and Skrillex's new side project Jack U,[13] Above & Beyond's set being interrupted by a rainstorm, requiring them and their equipment to be moved backstage and facing away from the audience,[14] and Deadmau5 "trolling" the audience during his set with a remix of Martin Garrix's "Animals" set to the children's song "Old McDonald Had a Farm".[15][16]

On the opening Friday, a security guard was diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage and left in "extremely critical" condition after being trampled by a crowd of people attempting to gate crash the festival by breaking down a chain-link fence. Miami mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado condemned the organizers of Ultra for being "irresponsible" by failing to increase the amount of fencing and police presence in the affected area, as requested by inspectors. Regalado and a number of local politicians also suggested that they would consider whether this incident may be deemed a breach of the organizers' contract with the city, forcing Ultra to be moved to a different location for 2015.[17][18]

2015

Despite uncertainties over whether the festival will still be held in Miami after the trampling incident, organizers announced that the 2015 edition will be held from March 27 to 29, 2015. Organizers also announced plans for a comprehensive review of the festival's security arrangements with the involvement of the Miami Police Department, and will particularly assess how security could be improved to "prevent a criminal incident of this nature from happening again." It was also emphasized that the 2014 festival had stronger security measures than in past years, with a larger police and undercover presence, and collaboration with the Bayfront Park Management Trust and the city's Department of Risk Management.[19][20]

In a meeting on April 24, 2014, Miami commissioners voted 4 to 1 against banning the festival, allowing Ultra to remain in downtown Miami for 2015. Marc Sarnoff, the lone commissioner to vote in favor of banning Ultra, presented footage of lewd behavior by attendees at previous editions, and contended that the event affected the quality of life for downtown residents because they were being harassed by visitors. The remaining commissioners supported the festival's presence because of the exposure and positive economic effects it brings to Miami, and Keon Hardemon disputed the argument that it affected downtown residents, as they, in his opinion, chose to live in the city so they could participate in such events. However, the approval was made on the condition that organizers introduce facilities for addressing security, drug usage and lewd behavior by attendees.[21][22]

Ultra South Africa

In 2014, the Ultra Music Festival made its debut on the African continent with an inaugural 2 day event in Cape Town and Johannesburg on February 14 and 15 respectively. An entry into the emerging South African dance music market had been anticipated for some time, but it was not until October 29, 2013 when the rumours were put to rest with the announcement. The Cape Town show took place at Ostrich Ranch, while the Johannesburg show took place at the Nasrec Expo Centre. Tiesto headlined the festival, along with Afrojack, Alesso, Nicky Romero, Krewella, and W&W along with local rising duo Goldfish, Micasa Music and Black Coffee.

Attendance

Year Attendance Location
2005 45,000 Bayfront Park, Miami[23]
2006 30,385 Bicentennial Park, Miami[24]
2007 50,000[citation needed] Bicentennial Park, Miami
2008 70,000 Bicentennial Park, Miami*
2009 100,000[citation needed] Bicentennial Park, Miami
2010 100,000[25] Bicentennial Park, Miami[26]
2011 150,000 Bicentennial Park, Miami[27]
2012 165,000[28] Bayfront Park, Miami[29]
2013 330,000[30] Bayfront Park, Miami[31]
2014 165,000 Bayfront Park, Miami

Attendance figures are a TOTAL attendance over the length of the festival. *Broke City of Miami records for tickets sold at a single event.

Location

Years Location
1999–2000 South Beach, Miami Beach
2001–2005 Bayfront Park, Downtown Miami
2006–2011 Bicentennial Park, Downtown Miami
2012–Present Bayfront Park, Downtown Miami*

*Ultra was moved back to Bayfront Park in 2012 due to the construction of the Miami Art Museum and Miami Science Museum at Bicentennial Park.[32]

Transportation and hotels

Ultra attracts visitors from throughout the world. Most visitors stay at hotels within the Downtown Miami or Brickell neighborhoods. This is by far the most convenient option for attending Ultra. Other popular neighborhoods include: the Omni and Edgewater, which are both within walking distance of Ultra. Some visitors get hotel accommodations in South Beach. However, reaching South Beach from Ultra in Downtown Miami can be problematic due to traffic, congestion and expensive transportation options, making it a less popular option. Metrobus routes S, C and 120 connect Ultra directly to South Beach.[33]

Visitors to Ultra are encouraged not to drive to the festival as parking is scarce and very expensive. Instead, most visitors take the Miami Metrorail or Metrobus. The nearest Metrorail station is Government Center. Additionally, the free Metromover provides transportation throughout Downtown Miami and Brickell. Train and bus service is extended during Ultra. Train service is extended until 1am.[34] For more information, visit: [http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/home.asp

References

  1. ^ "Ultra Music Festival". Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Exclusive: Ultra Music, Ultra Music Festival Announce 'Global Alliance'". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. ^ Duran, Jose D. (2012-01-10). "Ultra Music Festival 2012 Sold Out With 73 Days Until Start". miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  4. ^ "Ultra Music Festival Lineup: David Guetta, Tiesto, Avicii to Rock Miami". Billboard.com. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Ultra Music Festival 2013 Live Stream: Weekend 1". Youredm.com. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  6. ^ Pretty Lights Tour Dates 2013 — Pretty Lights Concert Dates and Tickets | Songkick
  7. ^ "Ultra Music Festival 2013: City of Miami to Vote on Resolution "Disapproving" of Second Festival Weekend". Crossfade. Miami New Times. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Ultra Music Festival 2013: Commissioner Wants To Kill Second Weekend Because Attendees Are On "Mind-Altering Drugs"". Crossfade. Miami New Times. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Ultra Music Festival wins approval to hold second weekend in 2013". inthemix.com.au. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Ultra Music Festival Announces Phase One of 2014 Lineup: David Guetta, Diplo and More". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Avicii Hospitalized with Blocked Gall Bladder, Cancels Ultra Music Festival Show". People. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Eric Prydz's HOLO Brings Largest Hologram Ever to This Year's Ultra Music Festival". The Creators Project. Vice. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Diplo, Skrillex Unite as Jack U at Ultra Music Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  14. ^ ""One of the more unusual gigs we've ever played": Above & Beyond upload Ultra set". inthemix.com.au. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Deadmau5 trolls Martin Garrix live at Ultra". DJMag. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Deadmau5 Trolls Martin Garrix on Twitter, Plays 'Animals' Remixed with 'Old MacDonald' at UMF". PopCrush. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  17. ^ "The 28-year old guard is suffering brain hemorrhaging after being trampled by a mob who broke down a fence and forcibly entered festival grounds last night". Billboard.com. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  18. ^ "Ultra security guard remains hospitalized after being trampled by gate crashers". Miami Herald. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Ultra Music Festival announces 2015 dates, issues". Mixmag. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Ultra Music Announces Review After Festival Security Draws Criticism". Billboard.com. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  21. ^ "Ultra Fest to Stay in Miami, City Commission Decides". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  22. ^ "Miami Commission: Ultra stays in downtown Miami". Miami Herald. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  23. ^ Carey, Jean (2005-03-17). "Behind the Curtain - Page 1 - Music - Miami". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  24. ^ "The Cure, Tiesto Set For Miami's Ultra Festival". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  25. ^ Sisario, Ben (2010-04-10). "At Coachella, Strong Start to Season of Festivals". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  26. ^ "ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL 12 Sells Out Two Days With Record Breaking Numbers With Over 100,000 in Attendance". prnewswire.com. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  27. ^ Weiner, Farryn (2011-04-01). "Miami's Ultra Music Festivalreveals 'Phase 1' of itsbiggest line-up yet". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  28. ^ "LTRA MUSIC FESITVAL MAKES HISTORY AS THE FIRST GLOBAL MAJOR EDM FESTIVAL TO EXPAND TO TWO WEEKENDS MARCH 15, 16 & 17 AND MARCH 22, 23 & 24, 2013". ultramusicfestival. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
  29. ^ "Ultra Music Festival 2012: Photos From Bayfront Park (PHOTOS)". huffingtonpost.com. 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  30. ^ "Ultra Music Festival: Smashing Records And Global Expansion". Forbes. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  31. ^ "Scenes from Ultra Music Festival". miamiherald.com. 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-15.
  32. ^ Candido, Sergio N. (2011-12-05). "Ultra Music Festival back to Bayfront Park in downtown Miami". miamiherald.com. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
  33. ^ "Miami- Dade county Transit System" (PDF). miamidade.gov. Miami-Dade County. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  34. ^ MDT - Miami-Dade Transit (via noodls) / Transit Service Extended For Ultra Music Festival 2013

External links

25°47′05″N 80°11′13″W / 25.784773°N 80.186934°W / 25.784773; -80.186934

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