MIAMI (WSVN) - Tens of thousands of people packed Bayfront Park for a second day in a row as part of the COVID-delayed Ultra Music Festival.
7News cameras captured the throngs of electronic dance music fans, some of them wearing creative and in some cases skimpy outfits, Saturday afternoon.
Revelers said the allure of the three-day showcase, which kicked off Friday after being postponed due to COVID-19, goes beyond pulsating beats.
“Incredible vibes, incredible energy,” said an attendee.
EDM fans waited at the gates hours before a DJ played their first set on one of several stages.
“Ultra, baby, let’s get it!” said an attendee.
The event also created a traffic nightmare in downtown Miami, especially on Friday night, when the Miami Heat played against the New York Knicks at the FTX Arena, literally down the street from Bayfront Park.
Caesar Cumes said he was one of many drivers who were stuck in traffic.
“I was just waiting on the Heat game. I didn’t know that people were going to be here. Traffic was horrible,” he said.
The northbound lanes of Biscayne Boulevard will remain shut down from Southeast First to Northeast Fourth streets until the end of the festival, late Sunday night. Cars are being rerouted through the southbound lanes, and drivers heading south are being rerouted west on Northeast Sixth Street.
Just after midnight, when the first day of the concert wrapped up, festival goers literally stopped traffic on the Brickell Avenue Bridge.
“I came out to my balcony, and I looked down, and the bridge was just crowded, like thousands of people trying to get over the bridge,” said an area resident.
Cellphone video showed revelers taking over the street as drivers tried to navigate by them.
“The cars that were driving through the crowds, if they interacted with the crowds in a different way, who knows what could have happened?” said the area resident.
City of Miami Fire Rescue officials reviewed what happened on Friday.
“We assessed 64 people at Ultra, and out of those 64, we transported 14, but those 14 where minor; it was nothing life-threatening,” said Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez.
On Saturday, fire rescue officials said, they evaluated 44 people and transported eight of them to the hospital. The patients’ injuries were not life-threatening.
Miami Police officials said they made four arrests on Friday, all for narcotics possession. They confirmed an additional arrest on Saturday.
“All arrests have been for drugs, so it’s making this the safest and the best Ultra that we’ve had so far,” said Miami Police Officer Mike Vega.
Police said they have updated their exit strategy to avoid a repeat of this traffic situation on Saturday and Sunday nights.
The festival will wrap up at midnight on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
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