Ultra Miami’s first day cut short due to severe weather

Ultra Music Festival was forced to shut down early on Friday (22 March) due to severe weather in Miami.

The three-day EDM event, taking place at Miami’s Bayfront, opened on Friday despite warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds in the South Florida region.

Ahead of the festival, punters were advised to bring ponchos, raincoats and boots. Ultra also encouraged festival goers to text ULTRA to 48477 to stay updated with real-time safety information.

Festivities went ahead as planned until around 21:00 EDT, when Ultra issued a statement: “For your safety, Ultra Friday is temporarily shutting down. Please calmly leave the park now.”

The three-day EDM event opened on Friday despite warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds

Hardwell, a Dutch DJ and producer who was due to play the headline set on the festival’s main stage, shared a post on X, expressing his disappointment at having to cancel his performance. He wrote: “I’m crying right now, 3 months of work by the team and myself. Wow….”

At around 23:30 EDT, Ultra shared another statement, assuring fans that the festival would go ahead on Saturday despite ongoing inclement weather. It read: “Severe weather is still in the area. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!”

Ultra resumed on Saturday, with extended hours to make up for the lost time, and guests were advised to turn up with caution. Artists including Calvin Harris and Eric Prydz performed at the festival during the weekend.

Events around the globe that have been impacted by the elements over the past 12 months include Primavera Sound Madrid, Awakenings in the Netherlands, Slovenia’s MetalDays, the UK’s Kaleidoscope, shows by Louis Tomlinson show and Ed Sheeran in the US, Burning Man, Taylor Swift in Brazil, Elton John in New Zealand and Wacken Open Air in Germany.

Extreme weather and its impact on open-air events was a major topic of conversation during last month’s ILMC in London. Read more here.

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