With this year’s Miami Ultra Music Festival expected to draw more than 160,000 visitors, it’s gearing up to be an epic weekend in our city. If you’re a first time festival goer, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind that will help your experience go as smoothly as possible. Let’s dive right in!
Safety First
While pickpocketing can be an issue, an often overlooked safety concern at Ultra is the need to stay hydrated. The long lines and Miami heat can easily lead to heat exhaustion. This year, you’ll likely be dealing with rain at the festival, in an unexpected turn of events. This comes with its own set of safety concerns, as their is a flood watch for this weekend as well as a chance of strong winds. Be sure to download the Ultra app so you can get safety alerts and festival updates in a timely manner.
Aside from dressing for the weather, it’s also a good idea to bring earplugs. Like most festivals, the music gets incredibly loud at Ultra. While we understand not wanting to miss any of it, it’s a good idea to consider the health of your ears in the long run. If you want to keep enjoying Ultra for years to come, you should protect your ears. Lastly, know that theft can unfortunately be an issue at Ultra, like at any event that draws hundreds of thousands of people. Avoiding keeping important items in your back pocket and minimize the amount of unnecessary valuables you bring onto festival grounds.
Be Prepared For Spotty Cell Service
Cell service at the festival has improved vastly over the last few years. However, the quality of your cell service can still vary depending on your carrier. Furthermore, the more crowded it gets, the more likely your cell service is to become spotty. We recommend having planned meetup spots with your group just in case. It’s also a good idea to take a picture of the schedule, this way you’re not constantly relying on having cell service in order to get to each stage at the right time.
Use the Metro System
The central location of the Ultra music festival, the amount of people attending, and the spotty cell service all make Uber and Lyft a less than reliable form of transport for festival goers. If you are staying in the downtown area, you should consider walking to and from the festival. The high demand means that you’ll have to wait a long time for rideshares and surge pricing will make rides much more expensive than what’s typical.
We suggest using the Metro system for some or part of your journey if possible. If you’re staying in Miami Beach it can be trickier to navigate, but at the very least using the metro to get out of the main festival area will reduce the amount of time and money you have to spend on a ride share. So if you have to use a rideshare, your best bet is to first get as far from the festival as you can.
Venture Outside of the Main Stage
With major artists like Calvin Harris slated for the festival, it’s understandably tempting to stay at the main stage the entire time. However, you just may discover your new favorite artist by venturing further. We recommend exploring the full festival grounds and taking the chance to watch some of the artists you’re not so familiar with. Furthermore, check out the Miami Music Week website, as there are a number of music events occurring outside of Ultra until Sunday. You can explore some of Miami’s hottest nightclubs and get a taste of all that our city has to offer!
Get There Early
Getting into the festival can get a very time consuming process. It’s not unheard to spend an hour or two waiting in line during peak times, so it’s generally better to arrive early to make better use of your time. Leave time to navigate through security checks, and consider how long it will take you to maneuver through the festival grounds.
Keep these tips in mind and you’re bound to have an amazing time this weekend. Our Bay Eight team will be crossing our fingers that the weather complies!
