Ultra Music Festival, a party as glamorous as the city where it was born, welcomes the top DJs, electronic, and dance artists from all over the world to Miami. The festival arises during the annual Winter Music Conference in March, a perfect time suited to riding the wave of electro music dominating the city. After years of experimenting in new locations, Ultra will return to its longstanding home at Downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park from March 25–27, 2022, promising a thrilling, three-day immersive electronic dance extravaganza like no other!
Peace, love, counterculture, and an escape from rigid conventionalism were all celebrated at music festivals back in the day. Music festivals are still popular and have established themselves as a regular form of entertainment. They bring people together from all walks of life. When you mix diversity with the power of music, a festival experience transforms into a powerful social force. As a result, many music events have sprung up over the years. And the Ultra Music Festival is undoubtedly one of the most successful.
Business partners Russell Faibisch and Alex Omes launched the Ultra Music Festival in 1999 as a one-day event in Miami Beach. A crowd of 10,000 concertgoers was estimated to attend the event. Although the turnout was a success, the event’s organizers nonetheless suffered a significant loss. The festival returned to Collins Park in South Beach in March 2000. This time, it was a complete success, with no setbacks. Because of its success, the event’s organizers decided to move the event to a new location. The festival relocated to Downtown Miami for its third year.
Since then, the Ultra Music Festival has been steadily increasing in popularity. It has won numerous awards over the years. In 2008, it received a title from the DJ Awards for the best worldwide music dance festival. From 2008 to 2011, it won the International Dance Music Awards for Best Music Event. Despite this, Ultra’s journey hasn’t been without bumps. First, the festival faced venue issues after Miami commissioners unanimously decided against allowing the festival to play at Bayfront Park, citing that residents in the downtown area had complained about noise and other concerns. Eventually, they reached a historic agreement with the Downtown Neighbors Alliance. But then came the pandemic brought by the COVID-19 virus, canceling the 2020 and 2021 editions.
And now, the Ultra Music Festival will again open its doors to party-goers in 2022! Phase 1 will include performances from Alison Wonderland, Amelie Lens, Boris Brejcha, Carl Cox, Illenium, Knife Party, Kygo, Madeon, Martin Garrix, Nina Kraviz, Oliver Tree, Pendulum, SLANDER featuring Dylan Matthew, SOFI TUKKER, and SVDDEN DEATH. Ultra Music Festival is also ecstatic to showcase the highly-anticipated performance of one of electronic music’s most legendary musicians as the festival’s closing act on Sunday. And we’re crazy to find out who it is!
Following the festival’s stunning Phase 1 announcement last October, Ultra unveiled a slew of new acts for its long-awaited return to Bayfront Park in 2022. Afrojack, Adam Beyer, Armin van Buuren, Jauz b2b NGHTMRE, Joseph Capriati, Seven Lions, Tiesto, and Vintage Culture b2b Claptone will be in the headlines. They will join Martin Garrix, Kygo, DJ Snake, David Guetta, and other dance music giants in Phase 1. However, despite the recent announcement of over 80 acts, the identity of the elusive artist remains a mystery.
One thing is clear: the festival has grown and has a lot to offer in the music scene. From progressive house to big room, techno, trance, and more, it represents every genre of electronic dance music. Its success may have had different effects on Miami, but we hope it will continue to survive the storms and put on a spectacular display for music fans every year. May the music continue to transcend all barriers by bringing people closer together. So get your tickets now, and don’t miss out on the fun and a long weekend of partying!
