The Ultra Music Festival will return to Miami next year after city commissioners ruled in its favour this week.
Ultra 2014, which took place in March in Bayfront Park, experienced a number of serious issues. A stampede by gatecrashers on the opening day left one security guard with severe injuries, whilst the overall festival prompted 76 arrests and 118 paramedic-assessed incidents. Further negative headlines were written when young EDM fan Adonis Escoto, 21, was found dead in his car after attending. Escoto’s aunt was adamant he hadn’t taken drugs and claimed his drinks were spiked; toxicology results are not due for some time.
Ultra’s various issues this year prompted Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and Commissioner Marc Sarnoff to start campaigning for its removal from the city’s annual calendar. Festival organisers, meanwhile, pushed on with announcing dates for 2015.
Now, a commissioners’ meeting has voted four-to-one to renew Ultra’s contact with the city and Bayfront Park. According to local news reports Regalado and Sarnoff attempted to argue their case at the meeting with video footage showing fights and drug-taking at the event. However, the wider commission voted to keep Ultra so long as organisers agreed to a number of new regulations.
Organisers must build stronger fencing for 2015, set up drug and mental health counselling stations, organise a helpline so that local residents can easily report issues, and use police rather than private security firms. The festival has already, it is claimed, hired outgoing police chief Ray Martinez as its new Security Director.
The team at Ultra has historically argued the beneficial economic impact of the festival locally (particularly for the hotel and leisure industry) and the fact that it has further boosted Miami’s global profile. In a statement on its official Facebook page, Ultra promised to “work closely with the City of Miami, the Bayfront Park Management Trust, City of Miami Police Department and other municipal partners, small business owners and the local downtown community to ensure next year’s event is a safe and fun environment for concertgoers and Miami residents.”
Ultra 2015 is scheduled for March 27-29. Check the website www.ultramusicfestival.com
