ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL Media Kit After a rocky year for Ultra Music Festival (UMF) in Virginia Key, this information kit serves to highlight UMF’s return to Downtown Miami, as well as what everyone can expect for its 2020 edition. 1. News Release: “Ultra Music Festival 2020 returns back home to Bayfront Park” Provides news coverage of an important milestone for UMF, its return to Bayfront Park. 2. Frequently Asked Questions: Ultra Music Festival 2020 Provides information for attendees regarding what is UMF, the dates, festival hours, how to get to and from the festival, the line-up, the minimum age requirement, the number of stages, food and drink options, and activities at the festival. 3. Opinion Piece: “Don’t Be A Hater, Be A Raver” by Amy Thomas, Frequent Festival Goer Aims to fight the stereotype of a “raver” from the perspective of a long-time attendee of EDM festivals. 4. Listicle: “6 Must-See Artists at Ultra Music Festival 2020” Highlights the biggest DJs that will be performing at the 2020 festival. 5. Infographic Gives a quick background of Ultra, highlights the accomplishments of Ultra over the years, including its efforts in sustainability, and information about UMF 2020. 6. Map of Ultra 2020 Provides a layout of the festival grounds of Ultra 2020. Displays the location of the stages, entrances and exits, first-aid, food and drink tents, and so on. 7. Schedule of Ultra 2020 Lists the artists scheduled to play Ultra 2020. Organized by day, time and stage. 8. Photos of Artists & Past UMFs Displays photos of artists playing 2020, as well as photos of past Ultra Music Festivals. Includes photos of past artists, stages and attendees. Ultra Music Festival 2020 returns back home to Bayfront Park After a bumpy year at Virginia Key, Ultra Music Festival (UMF) will be returning to Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami on March 20, 21 and 22 for its 22nd edition. Due to the unpopularity of its relocation to Virginia Key in 2019, the organizers of Ultra decided to terminate their license with the city of Miami and not return, promising Ultra would be relocating to a new, permanent home in South Florida. However, with a 3-2 vote, the Miami Commissioners voted to allow Ultra to return to Downtown Miami in 2020. “It has definitely been a rocky year for us, having to relocate within such a short time frame,” said Aimee Torres, Director of Artist Relations at Ultra Music Festival. “Most people don’t think about the amount of time needed to plan a festival. There’s the stages, the sound booths, how people are getting to and from the festival. It’s a lot of planning. But I’m excited for Ultra to be going back home. It’ll be nice to be back at Bayfront.” The first UMF took place in 1999 at Collins Park in Miami Beach. The festival stayed there for two years before moving to Bayfront Park in 2001, where it stayed for 17 years. However, starting in 2017, many residents of Downtown Miami demanded the city not renew its contract with UMF due to noise and quality of life issues. The Downtown Neighbors Alliance gathered more than 1,000 signatures, demanding large music festivals, such as UMF and Rolling Loud, not be allowed at Bayfront. In September 2018, the Miami City Commission unanimously voted down a contract for UMF to stay in Bayfront, and Ultra was forced to quickly find a new location for their 2019 festival. UMF was held for the first time at the Historic Virginia Key Beach and Miami Marine Stadium Flex. However, transportation issues with shuttles to and from the mainland plagued the festival on the first day, with many attendees waiting hours to return to Miami. On social media, many dubbed UMF as “Fyre Fest 2.” The festival also received noise and traffic complaints from residents in Brickell and Key Biscayne. As a part of the new license agreement, Ultra will be modifying the sound level from 110 decibels to 102, eliminating one stage, ending the event at midnight on Friday and Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday, leaving the children’s park and dog park open during the festival, and capping the festival’s capacity to 55,000 attendees per day. UMF 2020 tickets are now available for purchase at ultramusicfestival.com. Prices start at $299. Ultra Worldwide is the global edition of the world’s premier electronic music event, Ultra Music Festival. The ULTRA brand in relation to live events was founded in 1997 in Miami by Executive Producer, President & CEO, Russell Faibisch, who began by producing electronic music events which led to the inaugural Ultra Music Festival® in 1999 on the sands of Miami Beach. The internationally renowned festival, which has taken place every March since its inception, celebrated its twentieth anniversary on March 23-25, 2018 by bringing over 165,000 music enthusiasts to the sold out waterfront event in the heart of the City of Miami. Ultra Music Festival, recently voted the world’s #1 Festival by DJ Mag for the third consecutive year, returned to Miami for its 21st annual edition on March 29-31, 2019. Choosing to follow a unique and creative vision and a wholly organic growth focused on its true love for music, artists and fans alike, the ULTRA Worldwide™ brand represents not only the world’s biggest and most successful remaining INDEPENDENT electronic music festival brand, but also the most international festival brand in the world. Event organizers continue to transport the unrivaled experience from the Miami flagship festival to an ever-growing number of destinations and Ultranauts all over the globe. Ultra Music Festival 2020: Frequently Asked Questions 1. What is Ultra Music Festival? Ultra Music Festival is a world-famous, three-day electronic music festival in Miami, Florida. 2. When is Ultra Music Festival? Ultra 2020 will be held March 20, 21 and 22. Festival hours will be: Friday, 4:00pm until midnight; Saturday, 12:00pm until midnight; and Sunday, 12:00pm until 10:00pm. After the festival, be sure to check out the many other EDM events throughout Downtown Miami as a part of Miami Music Week! 3. Where is Ultra Music Festival? Ultra 2020 is happy to be returning to Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami, Florida. 4. What is the best way to travel to Ultra Music Festival? Public Transportation: This is the most recommended option; it will be the cheapest, and Ultra has ensured that the trains will have extended hours on festival weekend. Take the Miami-Dade MetroRail system to the Government Center Station. There, you will connect to the free MetroMover to Bayfront Park. Lyft/Uber: Ultra will have designated drop-off/pick up locations. Please visit our website, ultramusicfestival.com, to view the Ultra Music Festival map. Because of the thousands of people at Ultra, expect surge pricing. Car: There are paid parking garages in Downtown Miami, and parking garages at Miami’s MetroRail stations. However, driving is the least recommended way to travel to Ultra. Expect street closures, detours and increased road congestion. 5. What artists will be performing at Ultra Music Festival? We will be releasing the artist line-up in three phases. Phase 1 will be released at the end of November 2019, Phase 2 will be released at the beginning of February 2020 and Phase 3 will be released at the beginning of March 2020. Be sure to check our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates. 6. What is the minimum age to attend Ultra Music Festival? Only those of 18 years of age and older are allowed to attend Ultra Music Festival. You must be 21+ to drink alcohol. VIP ticket holders must also be 21+. 7. How many stages will be at Ultra Music Festival? There will be a total of 8 stages, including: • Ultra Main Stage • Live Stage • A State of Trance 850 • Resistance Arcadia Spider • Ultra Worldwide • UMF Radio • Carl Cox Megastructure • Oasis 8. What food and drink options will be available at Ultra Music Festival? Guests can purchase food and drinks at booths and food trucks throughout the festival. There will be a wide variety of options, including pizza, tacos, teriyaki chicken bowls and more. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will also be available. Alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase for those over 21 years old. Remember to drink responsibly! Free water refill stations will be present all over the festival grounds. Remember to stay hydrated! 9. What activities will be at Ultra Music Festival outside of the stages? In addition to eight stages at Ultra, guests can participate in additional activities. Get bedazzled with face jewels, make Kandi bracelets or purchase Ultra merchandise at one of our booths. Check out the art exhibits throughout the festival. Meet some of the artists at our “Meet & Greet” tent. Be sure to check our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates. Don’t Be A Hater, Be A Raver Enough is Enough: Stop Judging the EDM Community By: Amy Thomas, Frequent Festival Goer “So, what’s a rave like? You guys just do that “PLUR” thing with your hands, trade those Kandi bracelets and take drugs right?” I get some sort of variation of that question when I tell people I attend festivals. And I’m FED up. I started listening to electronic music when I was in high school and have been attending festivals since I was eighteen years old. And I’m tired of the judgmental comments and snarky looks I get whenever I tell someone I listen to EDM.