Ultra Music Festival had one of its best years ever in 2018. After selling out their flagship event, reuniting Swedish House Mafia, and celebrating one of the statistically safest editions in company history, the sky appeared to be the limit. Then all of a sudden a small group of very vocal residents began to fight Ultra tooth and nail about their venue.
Ultra has taken place at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami for over a decade. While the influx of people provides an enormous boost to the Miami economy, it also brings with it chaos and noise. Residents tend to try and ignore the festival during the final week in March, but after years of complaining a few dedicated Miami citizens shut down a contract renewal for Ultra Music Festival.
While there is still ample time for the festival to create a new contract with the city, fans are worried where the festival might move if Bayfront ends up falling through. We did a bit of research and found 3 of the most likely spots for the festival to take place in 2019.
Miami Dolphins Stadium
Ultra regularly celebrates its satellite festivals in sports venues, so it is not too farfetched to think that the festival might move to the largest stadium in the Miami area.
Of course, there are drawbacks to this plan. The Dolphins stadium has massive grounds, but a festival the size of Ultra requires a great deal of logistics. One of the benefits of having the festival downtown is that fans do not need a vehicle to get to the festival and therefore, attendees rarely get behind the wheel intoxicated. This would not be the case at the Miami Dolphins stadium lies outside the city a great deal.
South Pointe Park, Miami Beach
Bayfront Park isn't the only waterfront property Miami has to offer. Off the coast of the city lies Miami Beach, and there are several opportunities for the island city to shine.
South Pointe Park is smaller than Bayfront, and festival curators would need to get creative in terms of design if the festival was to be moved out to South Beach.
Homestead Miami Speedway
This is by far the most likely choice for possible new locations. It is close enough to Miami, has ample space for both parking and side stages, and is accessible for almost all parties.
Will Ultra ultimately move? Only time will tell. For now, we hope that this is just a political stunt by councilmen who are aiming for re-election come November, and after the votes are cast, Ultra can easily waltz back into its best-known home.
