After voluntarily terminating its license with Miami, Ultra has set its sights on a new South Florida location.
Ultra has been held in the city of Miami since it began in 1999, originating on Miami Beach before relocating to Bayfront Park. During the years 2005-2011, the festival took place at Bicentennial Park before heading back to the Bayfront, so the event is clearly experienced at handling venue changes.
For the most recent edition, Ultra moved to a new home on Virginia Key which marked the end of their time at the Bayfront Park. Issues with transport- combined with concern over the effect that the loud music was having on nearby wildlife- lead to the future of the festival being determined by Miami City Council.
Ultra statement released to Twitter
However, it seems that organisers decided to take the decision into their own hands, terminating the contract themselves and publishing the following statement to Twitter:
"After listening to feedback from many of you (including over 20,000 fans who took our post-event survey), it is clear that the festival experience on Virginia Key was simply not good enough," the event's organizers said in an open letter posted online today. "This is Ultra Music Festival, after all, and our attendees expect us to deliver on our commitment to excellence."
So even though it's goodbye for Miami, it seems Ultra are on track to finding somewhere else within the region to call home. The letter states that several offers have been made and that one of them "shined far above the others", so rest assured that the legacy shall continue!
Ultra remains to be the frontrunner for electronic festivals, having hosted shows in over 25 countries which span across six continents (all eyes on you Antarctica). Year after year, the brand presents the world's leading DJs to hundreds of thousands of 'Ultranauts' and has paved the way for some historical moments in music. Just look at Ultra Miami in 2013, when supergroup Swedish House Mafia gave their farewell performance- only to reunite at the same show five years later. Here's hoping that the new Florida location will provide many more iconic moments in the years to come!
Tickets are on sale now for several Ultra shows around the world, highlights in the coming festival season include Ultra Korea, Ultra Singapore and Ultra Europe.
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