MIAMI (WSVN) - Electronic dance music fans from all over the world have descended on downtown Miami as Ultra Music Festival got underway.
Loud music echoed throughout Bayfront Park as attendees moved to DJs’ pulsating beats across multiple stages, Friday night.
The three-day event kicked off when doors to the venue opened at 4 p.m. Just after 6 p.m., 7Skyforce hovered above a large crowd near one of the stages.
“This is the first we’ve ever, ever, ever gone to Ultra in Miami,” said an attendee. “It took 10 years after we moved out of Florida to come back and have a good time.”
“Are you kidding me? Look at this place. I’ve never been to Miami before. It’s everything,” said another attendee.
“Everything: the vibe, the people, everyone that comes here is just so welcoming, like, everyone’s in a really good vibe,” said a third attendee.
“Because I love music,” said attendee Nao Hirayama, who is visiting from Japan.
Whether attendees are first-timers or Ultra veterans, organizers said the three-day festival won’t disappoint.
“We kind of bought the tickets on an impulsive buy, and we’re all college students, and we haven’t had a break in a long time,” said an attendee.
“[I came] just to have a good time, live life. You only live once,” said local resident Elijah Lovell.
“I decided to come again. Also, I love Miami,” said Shuri Nuagai, who is visiting from Japan.
Liana Lemke is visiting from Maine.
“It’s a ton of fun. The music’s awesome, the vibe is awesome,” she said.
More than 165,000 people expected to attend this year’s festival.
“It’s crazy, but I’m excited. Yeah, it’s a lot going on,” said attendee Morgan Hanagan, who is visiting from Michigan. “It’s a lot to take in, for sure, but new experiences, right? Like, it’s exciting, for sure.”
“I came to Ultra last year; I had a blast,” said Lemke. “Do you want to have the best time of your life or be boring at home? Those are you options.”
“Yup. I could be sitting on my couch right now, but I’m not,” said Hanagan.
Miami Beach will also be packed this weekend with spring breakers. There will be lots of Miami Music Week events that people can enjoy.
City commissioners opted against imposing a curfew this weekend in South Beach, but they voted to have liquor stores close by 6 p.m. through Sunday. That’s in response to the recent violent and deadly weekend along Ocean Drive.
Back in Miami, there will be plenty of police officers throughout and around the Ultra venue.
“Number one: traffic patience is very important. If you’re coming into downtown or live here, pack a little bit of patience because, obviously, there are thousands of event goers that are going to be in the area,” said Miami Police Capt. Freddie Cruz.
Cruz said Miami Police work closely with Ultra organizers.
“Several months of planning goes into this, and we always review what we did last year, what we could do better, what we could change,” he said.
Among other big events happening this weekend is the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Saturday night, the Miami Heat will be playing feet away from the Ultra stages.
“If you see something, say something. All that means is if you see something a little suspicious, flag down an officer,” a Miami Police officer said in a video posted to Twitter. “Officers are going to be on post all throughout the event.”
“We want everybody to come in and enjoy themselves, whether you’re visiting or you live in the area,” said Cruz. “Whatever it might be, enjoy yourselves, but we always ask everyone, please obey the laws, obey the rules. We’re here for you. We don’t want to be the bad guys and put people behind bars. That’s not our business; however, we’re not going to tolerate any criminal behavior or any violence ’cause we do have to maintain order, and it’s all for the safety of everyone.”
Drivers not attending the special events are advised to avoid the areas since there are several road closures in place throughout the weekend.
For more information about this weekend’s road closures in downtown Miami, click here.
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