Ultra 2013 was one of the best weekends of my life with good friends, great music and endless laughs. The city of Miami,which to me is usually chaotic, was fully equipped and organized to handle the hundred of thousands of electronic, house and trap music goers and with a smile at that. The lineups and shows were unbelievable with little to no drama on our end. Music can bring people from all different cities and backgrounds into a place that for a present moment unifies and connects everyone. Unlike SXSW, everything was expensive but the artists were centralized in downtown Miami at Bayfront Park. The stages and light shows were unfathomable and it is still hard to believe the beauty of the city's skyscrapers with fireworks over the water st the end of every night. The layout of the venue was confusing at first with over 7 stages but by Sunday it was like summer camp with your own favorite cuts and known beer vendors.
The first night on Friday we walked in and immediately saw the effects of drugs as a girl was staring straight ahead and scream while clapping incessantly, however to each their own and their state of mind did not effect my experience negatively - in fact it was quite entertaining (refer to pic of kids in a circle). Being in my mid to late twenties I am surprised by my newly developing love for electronic music but there seems to be a movement or generation developing that lives in the moment again. I am not comparing them to the generation of the 60s but with all the conveniences and technologies of this day and age, we have found a way to make music work with technology that tingles the senses and makes the backs of your hair of your neck stand.
You followed your favorite artists from stage to stage as the festival just seem to have a natural flow to it and the music never stopped. Even at the end of the night, we were dancing on our way to our hotel with a Spanish family, ten deep, to music we made up in the moment. I have been to many music festivals and they always seem to get stressful - it maybe it was my life experience or just the beautiful weather, but Ultra 2013 was a great and enlightening experience. We caught the following shows throughout the three day weekend:
Fridays Lineup -
Bloody Beetroots Live, Afrojack, Tiesto, Kaskade, Boys Noize, Avicii, Carl Cox Weekend & Bassjackers
Saturday Lineup-
Flosstradamus, Deadmau5, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Booka Shade Live and Flux Pavilion,
I missed Fatboy Slim and Benny Benassi but went to party down the street and continued to dance somehow til sunrise to Run DMT and
Sunday Lineup-
Major Lazer, Snooplion, Swedish House Mafia, Crystal Castles, Pretty Lights and Knife Party
You can find any atmosphere you want throughout the weekend from small stages and clans of relaxed veterans to huge 100K mainstream shows like Swedish House Mafia or Deadmau5. My overall favorites for the weekend were Major Lazer, Flosstradamus and Carl Cox Weekend. Somewhat treated like cattle, the city of Miami organized us into lines before and after the show that allowed for a calm exit with thousands of kids dancing in the streets to an internal music they would continue to hear for days. There are vans and buses that shuttled you back to South Beach for $10 but dont get on one until you see that they are about to leave or otherwise you will be a sitting duck in a musicless, no air conditioning hell. We stayed in South Beach at the Chesterfield and San Juan right on Collins Ave. and that had its draws and perks. I know ill be going again next year but I will probably stay downtown because transportation over the causeway was an expensive and timely issue. However, SoBe does not die after Ultra, with parties spilling into the streets until 7am and dance halls in the lobby of our hotel starting at 10am. We finished the weekend in true Miami style with lunch at Joe's Stone Crab to-gos which if you never have had a stone crab claw, you have not lived.
On to the next adventure...
The first night on Friday we walked in and immediately saw the effects of drugs as a girl was staring straight ahead and scream while clapping incessantly, however to each their own and their state of mind did not effect my experience negatively - in fact it was quite entertaining (refer to pic of kids in a circle). Being in my mid to late twenties I am surprised by my newly developing love for electronic music but there seems to be a movement or generation developing that lives in the moment again. I am not comparing them to the generation of the 60s but with all the conveniences and technologies of this day and age, we have found a way to make music work with technology that tingles the senses and makes the backs of your hair of your neck stand.
You followed your favorite artists from stage to stage as the festival just seem to have a natural flow to it and the music never stopped. Even at the end of the night, we were dancing on our way to our hotel with a Spanish family, ten deep, to music we made up in the moment. I have been to many music festivals and they always seem to get stressful - it maybe it was my life experience or just the beautiful weather, but Ultra 2013 was a great and enlightening experience. We caught the following shows throughout the three day weekend:
Fridays Lineup -
Bloody Beetroots Live, Afrojack, Tiesto, Kaskade, Boys Noize, Avicii, Carl Cox Weekend & Bassjackers
Saturday Lineup-
Flosstradamus, Deadmau5, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Booka Shade Live and Flux Pavilion,
I missed Fatboy Slim and Benny Benassi but went to party down the street and continued to dance somehow til sunrise to Run DMT and
Sunday Lineup-
Major Lazer, Snooplion, Swedish House Mafia, Crystal Castles, Pretty Lights and Knife Party
You can find any atmosphere you want throughout the weekend from small stages and clans of relaxed veterans to huge 100K mainstream shows like Swedish House Mafia or Deadmau5. My overall favorites for the weekend were Major Lazer, Flosstradamus and Carl Cox Weekend. Somewhat treated like cattle, the city of Miami organized us into lines before and after the show that allowed for a calm exit with thousands of kids dancing in the streets to an internal music they would continue to hear for days. There are vans and buses that shuttled you back to South Beach for $10 but dont get on one until you see that they are about to leave or otherwise you will be a sitting duck in a musicless, no air conditioning hell. We stayed in South Beach at the Chesterfield and San Juan right on Collins Ave. and that had its draws and perks. I know ill be going again next year but I will probably stay downtown because transportation over the causeway was an expensive and timely issue. However, SoBe does not die after Ultra, with parties spilling into the streets until 7am and dance halls in the lobby of our hotel starting at 10am. We finished the weekend in true Miami style with lunch at Joe's Stone Crab to-gos which if you never have had a stone crab claw, you have not lived.
On to the next adventure...
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