Breaking news ! Ultra Festival stays in Miami for 2019 | Episode 88 - a podcast by FreaKBeatS EDM podcast

So if you remember since last year there have been questions about whether Ultra Miami festival will continue in its previous location, which if I may remind you was Bayfront Park in downtown Miami.

Since its inception Ultra Miami Festival was held for the first 2 years (1999-2000) in Miami Beach, in 2001 it moved to Bayfront Park, six years later in 2007 it moved to Bicentennial Park for the five years, and finally returned to Bayfront Park in 2012 where it remained until 2018 when Ultra Music Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary with the Swedish House Mafia reunion closing a sell-out weekend..

For the past few years the festival administration was having problem with the local Commissioner and the City Council in renewing the license Ultra held because of the commotion from the crowds roaming downtown Miami before and after the festival and the associated noise pollution. This was not actually the first attempt as there was a similar previous attempt back in 2014. A counter petition at change.org to keep Ultra at Bayfront Park in 2014 gathered 49000 signatures in its favour. As we can see this is not a recent face-off but an ongoing problem. And all this despite the alleged beneficial impact of Ultra to the local economy. In 2013, the festival resulted in an infusion of $223 million into the local economy.

If you recall there was a petition since last year to throw the Ultra Music Festival out of Bayfront Park; this petition was run by the local community. Ultra’s contract with Bayfront Park was about to expire, and nearby residents have been collecting signatures to ensure it does not get renewed. The petition, which counted more than 1000 signatures, targeted both Ultra and hip-hop festival Rolling Loud, and was delivered at the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting. The Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA) assembled the petition, an organization that has already made headlines with recent noise complaints and face-offs against other residents and three 24-hour clubs that call downtown Miami home: Space Club, Heart Nightclub and E11even. The campaign was aimed at giving the park back to the local community rather than have it designated as a “cash cow for the city" that is “destroying the park’s environmental elements” and bringing “alcohol/drug-related violence” to the downtown area. The petition read: “We, the residents of Downtown Miami and its neighboring communities deserve to have daily access to Bayfront Park – our neighborhood park,” the petition states. “Instead, since the beginning of 2017, Bayfront Park has been closed to the public or in a state of disrepair for over 100 days because of mega-concerts like Ultra and Rolling Loud.”

According to The Miami New Times, Commissioner Joe Carollo led the charge in denying the renewal of Ultra's bid, citing the fact that downtown residents are sick and tired of the chaotic and loud festival. What a party poop ! When pro-Ultra speakers argued about the historical value of the location, Carollo responded with true insight: "That was a different Miami. The kind of music that Ultra plays is not the same as other venues where the music changes... It's thump, thump, thump." I for once agree. Martin Garrix and Hardwell should stop these risers for fucks sake.

When I read all these news about the petitions last year I thought it was just a funny old joke...but guess what happened this year ! The petition was upheld and Ultra Festival lost its license of holding the 2019 event in Bayfront Park. Following its eviction, it remained unclear as to where Ultra Music Festival planned to locate next. Even though tickets for the 2019 edition of the festival went on sale the day before the decision was reached.

Until today we really didn't know what was going to happen and whether Ultra Music Festival will actually happen in 2019 or whether it would be kicked out of Miami and therefore they had to relocate.

I just received an email announcing the new location which

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