A Review of Ultra Music Festival 2019

Ultra Music Festival 2019 left us all with much to say. Among the many safety concerns, the biggest one was Transportation. Many attendees opted to walk the Rickenbacker Causeway back to mainland after waiting for a shuttle for up to an hour and a half. Subsequently, Ultra released a statement on twitter saying:

We have been hard at work ensuring a smooth transportation experience for your trip home after the festival tonight.

Specific actions we are taking:

– Additional resources allocated to enhanced training for ALL transportation staff and volunteers

(1/3) #Ultra2019

— Ultra Music Festival (@ultra) March 30, 2019

Despite this, the following days transportation was still an issue. While there may have been more shuttles on Saturday and Sunday the wait times still averaged an hour. Furthermore, many of the shuttles dropped passengers off at the wrong hub. Forcing them to walk back to where their vehicles were parked. One thing the massive festival did not lack was Police presence, with about two or three police officers within 30 feet of each other throughout the festival.

Fire on the Mainstage

During day one a fire broke out on the Mainstage, which was later confirmed to be caused by fireworks. Therefore, everyone waiting in line for shuttles were asked to move from the perimeter. Forcing them to walk an hour through the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Fire caused by the fireworks at ultra! And to top it off walk over a mile across the bridge smh @ultra #ultra pic.twitter.com/bv9k6KDePu

— DonutCare (@aciremabc) March 30, 2019

Following this ordeal many attendees took to social media to compare Ultra 2019 to TomorrowWorld 2015 and Fyre Festival. While the festival experience overall was great, the issues with shuttles left many attendees apprehensive to return for another year. Even with the implementation of shuttles to and from the festival the traffic was still massive. As it is expected since the island has only one entrance/exit. There was a designated area for passenger drop-off; however, it was not clearly posted. If anyone attempted to exit a vehicle they would be faced with an aggressive police officer demanding they get back in the car or face a hefty fine.

On a good note, Ultra allocated a group of individuals whose sole purpose was the preservation of Virginia Key.

Mission: Home

OUR MISSION
To preserve our home on Virginia Key, reduce our environmental impact and inspire our attendees to protect the planet.

https://ultramusicfestival.com/mission-home/

These individuals who were dressed in neon green shirts walked around the festival picking up trash and bringing awareness to their mission.

Electrical Malfunctions

Shuttles were not the only issues at Ultra this year. Also, there were several electrical malfunctions. Many people reported that the Mainstage continuously blacked out or lost sound. Furthermore, after the power cut off three times Cash Cash Reportedly threw the mixer like a Frisbee.

https://twitter.com/ElectricalFuego/status/1112361181547765761?s=20

During Deadmau5’s set, the sound completely cut off. Furthermore, he gave a sarcastic and hilarious comment amidst the circumstances.

Thank you for the finger licking good time!

https://twitter.com/TranceBunny/status/1113161292334944258

Finger lick’n Good Time

In his closing statement Deadmau5 was poking jokes at the fact that KFC bought a spot at Ultra for Colonel Sanders. While some people danced along, most people found the ad-break between sets annoying.

.@KFC bought Colonel Sanders a slot on the @Ultra main stage, and this happened. 🐔🥚😂 | 📹: @1001TLtv pic.twitter.com/8qZfUZ7G4K

— Festive Owl (@TheFestiveOwl) March 29, 2019

Also, people quickly took to Twitter to debate how mainstream EDM has become.

Incoming KFC hot take… pic.twitter.com/QS1wUgHisE

— HUNTER (@HunterSiegel) March 31, 2019