Ultra Music Festival was an electric melting pot of attendees from around the world, next-level production, insane surprises, and more to celebrate 25 years.
If you keep up with the dance music scene, you likely caught all the hype and unbelievable moments of Ultra Music Festival last weekend. Whether you attended in person or scrolled through viral social media videos, the high energy of the festival and its unwavering impact can be felt through various mediums. Returning to Bayfront Park on March 28-30 for its monumental 25th anniversary, Ultra Miami delivered its best edition yet.
I’ve been attending Ultra Music Festival and the concurrent Miami Music Week since 2022, and it’s a no-brainer for me as to why I keep returning. Every year seems to outdo the previous, from the festival’s lineup and production to my nearly week-long trips to southern Florida and all the adventures that ensue. It’s one of the best weeks in electronic dance music—Miami is simply the place to be at the tail end of every March.
Ultra Music Festival was full of surprises for their landmark 25th installment.
One never knows what Ultra has up their sleeves to commemorate each edition — and with a quarter-century of dancing under the Miami heat now under their belt, this year brought extra-special occurrences. One of my favorite memories from the weekend was being in the crowd during AFROJACK’s set when he brought out David Guetta and Sia to perform their 2011 classic “Titanium” for the first time. The crowd’s energy lit up as bright as the fireworks that followed, and the magic of Ultra was palpable in this moment.
Alesso was next to take Ultra’s Main Stage, where he brought out Nadia Ali to perform their iconic single “Pressure,” another renowned 2011 hit. Throughout the weekend, the theme of surprises and guest appearances enlightened attendees, like Kaskade being the “Surprise Guest” on the Main Stage on Sunday, Skrillex bringing out vocalists like Flowdan and Damian Marley, and Steve Aoki bringing out Mike Posner and Trippie Redd, among others.
Ultra Music Festival’s seven stages offered the best of the scene’s heavy hitters and rising stars, with unmatched production.
It’s no secret that the stages and production at Ultra Miami are next-level compared to other festivals—and with the highly-produced livestreams reaching millions, Ultra Miami was on display in numerous corners of the world.
The Live Stage was the place to be for unique live experiences, with acts like Pendulum, KSHMR, and NERO tapping into instruments and beloved vocalists to bring their music to life. Down the hill in the RESISTANCE MegaStructure, I reveled in the hypnotic beats of artists like ARTBAT, Charlotte de Witte, Adam Beyer, and Solomun. A few of my treasured memories from Ultra Miami this year occurred while getting lost inside this behemoth of a stage, sunglasses on and fan in hand.
The arch of the Worldwide Stage beckoned me a handful of times during the event, too. This forward stage design has been mimicked at other festivals, but nothing beats the allure of the original. I let loose to the likes of Crankdat, Maddix, Oliver Heldens, Knife Party, and Hedex under its flashing LED panels and bass-heavy beats.
The Main Stage returned with a brand new design, incorporating the most lasers and lights I’ve ever seen at this stage.
When eagle-eyed fans first spotted Ultra’s Main Stage being constructed on the Bayfront Park live cam, many thought it looked eerily similar to last year’s design. Once fully built out, though, it’s clear that the 2025 design is a far cry from its predecessor. Boasting a new assortment of LED panels in various shapes, all drawing the eye inward to the artist on center stage, this year’s Ultra Main Stage has proven to be a favorite among attendees.
Major highlights for me on the Ultra Main Stage included witnessing Skrillex’s return to Ultra Miami for his first solo set in over a decade and catching part of Martin Garrix’s first-ever closing set at the festival, which I set-split with Above & Beyond on the Live Stage. Hardwell left a lasting impact on me, as always; I’ll never forget seeing his legendary comeback on the Main Stage during my first Ultra Miami in 2022.
A drone show also took place over the Ultra Main Stage each night around the same time. Attendees gasped and gazed in awe at the patterns displayed above them, ranging from beautifully crafted designs of the Main Stages over the years to the special Ultra 25th Anniversary logo.
Ultra also offered exclusive merchandise on-site, so we made sure to swing by their giant merch tent in the middle of the festival.
Ultra has also become known for its fashion-forward merchandise available at the festival, with a new line dropping each festival season. This year, the 2025 line was available at the show, featuring items exclusive to Ultra Miami 2025. If you missed out on ordering at the event, you can browse available options online via Shop Ultra.
After visiting the store on-site, I opted for a white crop top with the embossed Ultra Music Festival logo, and my colleague opted for a baby blue cropped tee featuring the Ultra logo.
Bayfront Park remains the perfect location to host Ultra Music Festival as it sits comfortably among the picturesque backdrop of downtown Miami.
Aside from the city lights, palm trees, and bay breeze encapsulating the venue, Bayfront Park is also centrally located to the rest of Miami Music Week events. It’s fairly easy to attend a pre-party or afterparty and make your way to and from the festival. Traffic and rideshare availability may take time, though, so always allot extra cushioning to get from place to place.
Unfortunately, we were met with rain once again at Ultra Music Festival on the last day. While a majority of my group stayed at our Airbnb to ride out the storm, I had traveled to the venue early for a nearby event and was caught in the downpour. The festival closed the venue for a few hours, causing artists like Odd Mob to cancel their sets. Since Mother Nature is out of our control, we hope she’ll offer us more grace and leeway with the weather next year.
After a quarter of a century spent creating memorable experiences for fans, Ultra Music Festival continues to raise the bar and lead the festival scene.
Ultra’s top-tier production, world-class lineups, and unbeatable location mesh together to concoct a one-of-a-kind event. With the added unique surprises to commemorate the 25th edition, this proved to be one of its best iterations yet. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting attendees from around the world who shared these same remarks as they proudly represented their hometowns while waving their country’s flags throughout the crowd. You could feel the electricity in the air.
The 25th anniversary of Ultra Music Festival reconfirmed my interest in attending next year as I reflected on the love and appreciation I have for this event. It wasn’t just about the music—it was about the legacy, the community, and the forward momentum of a festival that continues to push boundaries year after year. Twenty-five years in, this March event is still setting the global standard for what a music festival can be. Here’s to the next 25!
