Miami Music Week recently just came to a close, and I had the opportunity to go to the week’s biggest event, Ultra Music Festival. It was a kind of impulsive decision, especially since I just recently got into techno, house, and other branches of EDM. My friend and I saw impressive headliners and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. Since this was new and exciting for me, let’s break down my experience, what to expect, what I liked and didn’t like. So let’s go through it day by day!
DAY ONE
Friday, I woke up and the sun wasn’t shining. I normally have a positive attitude, so I didn’t let it faze me, especially since we are in Florida. I’m also feeling positive since my group and I were well-prepared with hydropacks and ponchos.
Tip: If you’re going to a festival, get a hydropack and a phone clip that attaches to it. You won’t regret it. Also, make rave candy (friendship bracelets), they’re fun to make/trade, and cute to wear.
On this day, artists like Alan Walker, Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, and Fisher X Chris Lake were playing, and I was especially excited to see Fisher since he was the main act. There was so much traffic, both driving and walking; it was like a sea of people, and it took about 40 minutes to get to the event. After running to the bathroom (which I thought was pretty nice for it being such a big festival), we made it to the main stage in time to see Tiesto. It was very crowded, but my group pushed through toward the middle. I had another friend I wanted to meet up with that day, but the signal made it very difficult.
Tip I learned that day: Use time stamps when texting, chances are your message will not go through for a while.
I loved Tiesto’s vibe, he’s been around in the industry for many years and if I could describe him in a word, it would be wholesome. In the middle of his set, a downpour of rain starts. In the beginning everyone kind of embraced it and danced in the rain. All of a sudden, the music stops, and everyone realizes that water got into Tiesto’s mixer. The rain started to feel overwhelming, and everyone awkwardly smiled and tried to get through it. Not too long after Tiesto’s set while Slander is playing, the music cuts again. Only this time, a big alert comes on the screen saying that due to the weather, everyone must evacuate. The floor soon became mud, and my group and I hid in the bathrooms while we waited for an update on Fisher. We found out later that Fisher was not performing, and Ultra was canceled for the rest of the day, which was really disappointing. The walk back to our car in the “river” of downtown Miami was also humbling. Overall, it wasn’t the best experience that day, but we made the most out of it!
DAY TWO
Although day 1 kind of sucked, part of me was also glad to come home earlier and get more rest. Everything felt much smoother in terms of traffic, weather, and time since we knew what to expect. We arrived around 5 pm to see Steve Aoki, excited to see him play his hit song: “Pursuit of Happiness”. He was cool and had a more laid-back vibe, but I honestly did expect more from him especially when he played his song with Kid Cudi; it was a blurb if anything. I also saw him throw a cake into the crowd (it’s his tradition apparently?). We made it further into the crowd to see Gryffin for a bit and later took a break to eat.
Tip: Take breaks to sit down and eat, I promise you’ll feel more energized after.
Even though the food was severely overpriced, it was not bad at all. They had all sorts of options, like pizza, tacos, burgers, empanadas, K-BBQ bowls, poke, and more all from different local restaurants and vendors: a solid 8/10 in my opinion! After our break, we went back into the crowd to see Martin Garrix. His show was so fun, he had so many great hits, and his organic sets were incredible. David Guetta was the act of the night, but I think Martin is so talented and he was my favorite. Guetta was also fun and he knows how to hype up the audience. I would’ve liked for him to play hits like: “Where Them Girls At” or “Work Hard Play Hard”, and I thought Titanium’s remix could have been better/longer. Other than that, it was a fun time! Since a lot of artists had to make up the sets they missed because of Ultra’s cancellation (except Fisher), they extended the event until 1 am. It was the longest and most exhausting day for sure; by the end of it, we were all walking zombies, but happy ones.
DAY THREE
I could barely get myself to wake up, but I wanted to see Discolines at 2 pm, so my group and I did. After another smooth arrival, we met up with my friend from UCF and his group and stuck with them for the rest of the day.
Tip: I recommend going with a big group, it’s a lot more fun!
Discolines had such a nice vibe since it was super sunny and bright; it had a beachy feel to it since we were next to the ocean. It was early in the day so we also had a ton of space to dance around on the floor panels. Afterward, we had a 3-hour gap until CamelPhat, and we used that time to explore more of the festival and discover other types of EDM, so we essentially stage-hopped. Luckily, a lot of the stages were covered, so the heat wasn’t an issue. I didn’t see CamelPhat for long, but the stage was a lot more immersive since it was indoors, so it was a great experience. We then went to see Afrojack on the main stage, and we were all very lucky to be deep into the crowd with a lot of space to dance, which we didn’t have much of on Day 1+2.
We left the crowd to meet up with a couple more friends and went back in for Calvin Harris. The main stage became extremely crowded as time passed, so we ended up surrounding a puddle in the mud, but it ended up being the perfect spot. Before Calvin came on, we got to see a 10-minute drone show; the technology was very impressive and all the figures they created in the sky were really creative and cute. From a branding perspective, it was awesome to see how they were able to implement their logo in the show. Calvin ended up coming to the stage, and every single set was flawless. We were standing in the mud but couldn’t help dancing and singing our hearts out. It was not only the best way to end Ultra but also the highlight of the festival. One of my friends let me go on his shoulders during “Feels so Close” and it was so euphoric.
Another Tip: If you can go on someone’s shoulders during a really good song, DO IT.
I’ve always been a fan of Calvin but seeing him live just made me love him even more. I felt really fulfilled afterward, and if Fisher were there I think it would have been the cherry on top. Then I went home and had a really deep sleep, and felt tired for a week straight. It was a great experience though. I will say it’s a lot, so I’m not sure if I will come back again with a 3 day pass, but if you haven’t gone to a festival yet, you should!