Ultra Music Festival makes triumphant return after three years

On the night of March 31st, 2019, as the headlining acts wrapped up their performances and concluded the 21st edition of Ultra Music Festival, attendees began to clear the grounds of Miami’s Virginia Key Beach Park. Behind them, the main stage screens illuminated the usual text and information that Ultra veterans are accustomed to, “See You Next Year… March 27 – 29, 2020.” However, as more than 100,000 people walked through the exit gates that night, little did they know it would be their last time doing so for three years to come.

Following 2019, the world turned upside down and entered unprecedented times in March 2020, causing Ultra to shut its doors and cancel its premier festival for two consecutive years due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The wait was long, tough and uncertain. There were many efforts to try to make the festival happen in both 2020 and 2021, but the safety of everyone involved and those who would attend was too much in question. Miami was a sacred place for the electronic community during March, and to have that taken away was completely devastating for both fans and artists.

However, that all changed last month.

After three long years, the 22nd edition of Ultra Music Festival officially took place as it returned to its rightful home of Bayfront Park in downtown Miami.

Day One: Coming Back Home

Saying that it was surreal to be back in Bayfront Park would not be doing the feeling justice. As the staff scanned the tickets and you walked past the gates to once again set foot on that hallowed ground that has played host to so many iconic moments in the past, it was like being in the sweetest dream. The park looked as if we had never left. The stages were in their usual positions. The trees were alive, and you could smell that distinct aroma from the wood chips on the ground. It was as if Bayfront was saying, “I was waiting for you to return.”

Image Credit: Alive Coverage