The moment that thousands of Ultra Music Festival fans have feared for years will officially become a reality in 2019.
After a unanimous vote on Sept. 27, the city of Miami commission rejected a renewal contract that would have kept the electronic music festival in Bayfront Park for the next five years, despite that being its home for almost two decades.
City commissioner Joe Carollo led the effort to terminate the contract with the infamous festival after complaints were flowing in from downtown residents who were reporting loud music, massive crowds, violence and traffic jams.
Ultra released a statement following the vote, stating that they were “naturally disappointed” but that it didn’t mark the end of Ultra, as they are still looking forward to staging the next edition of the festival next year.
Established in 1999, Ultra Music Festival has progressively become part of Miami’s culture. Originally a one-day event, Ultra brought thousands of people from around the world to Miami. This raised the tourism industry in Miami to new heights.
Ultra has become somewhat of a tradition for locals. Seeing the stage go up year after year, one can’t help but feel slightly disheartened at the thought of it never standing again in downtown. Wolfson Campus student Sebastian Revollo, 21, who has attended Ultra four years in a row, isn’t looking forward to the changes in location, believing that the city should not get rid of something that attracts so many tourists from around the world.
“When I see the stages being built, I feel excited, obviously, but also very privileged to live in a city where such events are held,” Revollo said.
Although Revollo is disappointed by the news, he says he can also sympathize with residents of downtown as it restricts residents from the park for over a month while they build and take apart the stages.
“When you take these things into consideration, it’s easy to understand why residents are upset. Revello said. “It’s a double-edged sword.”
Following the news regarding Ultra, It’s hard to imagine where they will host next year’s festival. With an overall attendance of 330,000 people, Ultra Music Festival is considered one of the largest and most well-attended festivals in the world.
Wolfson Campus testing department employee Phillip Leblanche, 30, who has attended the festival for the last seven years, says this news does not come as a shock to him as he has been seeing the opposition against Ultra from neighboring condo residents for years.
“It was only a matter of time,” Leblanche said.
Disappointed with the commission’s decision, he says that downtown was the perfect location because it was close to hotels, restaurants, beaches and other events.
“A new location might make it more difficult for people to get to and from places, potentially harming Ultra’s revenue in the process,” he said.
Despite not knowing where its 2019 location will be, one thing is certain—Ultra Music Festival will always be a part of Miami’s culture.
