Ultra Music Festival: A Breathtaking Weekend in Review
Last weekend, you were one of two types of people. You were either the party animal who bounced consistently from the blazing sun of Miami's South Beach, to the bouncing beat of Miami's Bayfront Park; or you were the individual who sat at home with your eyes glued to your computer screen, 'Ultra 2015' typed in almost every search bar of every social media site you have ever owned.
Staying at the JW Marriot Marquis, I was lucky enough to be one of the 160,000 EDM lovers that attended Ultra Music Festival last weekend. With a lineup that brought in artists from all over the world and from all types of genres, Ultra 2015 was a huge success.
On the Thursday evening before Ultra, all the hotels nearby Bayfront Park; the Intercontinental, JW Marriot Marquis and EPIC Hotel experienced the technical run-through of the lights and sound system booming through the city and through hotel walls since 4pm Thursday afternoon. Thousands of tourists flooded the airport, sporting either previous year's UMF apparel, or practically shaking from excitement if it was their first time.
Walking along Biscayne Boulevard on Thursday evening, I saw hundreds of fellow ravers press up against the black banners on the park's fence, taking pictures or staring up in awe at the lights that flickered through the trees of the main-stage testing. Closer to midnight, all throughout the boulevard, the clunk of metal was heard as the Miami police department and event security began setting up the maze of barricades for the attendees to run through the following afternoon.
Friday morning, every drugstore and every grocery store was absolutely packed with Ultra attendees attempting to feed themselves enough for 8+ hours of constant dancing. As we neared noon and later into the afternoon, the glitter, flash tattoos, flower crowns and flags all sparkled and shone in the hot Miami sun, as thousands of people waited in line to get through the gates early.
Then at 4pm, the chants and screams of "Ultra" soared through the gates just as did all the flags from over 80 countries of the world. All throughout the park, promoters from 7-up lit up the attendees wrists with light-up bracelets that reflected beautifully at nighttime during the live feed. Walking through the park, I stopped by and took pictures with so many of the incredible people that I had met. Meeting people from Washington DC, all the way to meeting people from Greenland, Ultra really introduced me to the most versatile and international setting that any music festival has ever offered me.
The rain poured down Friday, but the crowd didn't back down. The ravers only danced through the raindrops to the amazing sets that were put on Friday night and continued to party through the wonderful, hot weather the rest of the weekend. This was only the beginning...
AUTHOR CREDIT: ALEXANDRA SHAFRAN