Ultra Music Festival’s future at stake amidst Miami commission meeting

There’s no bigger festival drama than the one Ultra Music Festival has with the City of Miami. For the last couple of years, the marquee festival has had an ongoing fight with the city amid complaints from neighbors due to the noise levels. In 2019, the city of Miami approved a new contract with Ultra officials to return the festival to Bayfront Park for their 2020 edition. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ultra had to postpone their return. Now, it appears as a new battle will begin with the city to approve their return for 2021.

The original vote for the future of Ultra Music Festival was set for April 2020. That vote never happened, and it was deferred until June. Today, the city commission came together to debate and vote on items, but the Ultra Music Festival item was withdrawn. This means that it was not deferred to a future meeting, unlike other items. So what is next? We will have to wait and see Ultra’s next legal move.

The Ultra item was withdrawn, meaning it was not technically deferred to a future meeting. The pension item was indefinitely deferred — meaning it will automatically appear on an agenda again in 6 months. That's what happened today. It was last indefinitely deferred in December.

— Joey Flechas (@joeflech) June 11, 2020

As of now, Ultra is in the middle of a class-action lawsuit regarding refunds for the ‘postponed’ festival edition of 2020. With no future set for the live entertainment industry, UMF may be in unstable waters with the future of its long-held venue. The debate with the city of Miami has been an ongoing issue for the last couple of years. It escalated in 2018 when Ultra decided to move to Virginia Key, after nearly twenty years at Biscayne Bay. Is it time for Ultra Music Festival to find a new home?

Image Credit: Rukes.com / H/T: EDMTunes