Just one day after Ultra Music Festival canceled their event in Abu Dhabi, reports are coming in that their 2020 Miami festival will be postponed indefinitely. Artists like Flume, Above & Beyond, Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, and DJ Snake were among the headliners slated for the festival at Bayfront Park.
According to the Miami Herold, Ultra Music Festival 2020 will be postponed for up to an entire year, effectively canceling the electronic music dance festival. The choice to postpone the festival was made in a meeting Wednesday morning with Ultra representatives and Miami’s elected leaders. Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo told reporters before the meeting that they wanted to postpone the event due to growing concerns over the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Shortly after the meeting, Carollo and Suarez said in a press conference that they had reached a resolution with Ultra, but that they would not make an official statement about the event’s future until Friday morning. Sources reported the delay was because attorneys needed time to iron out the “loose ends” surrounding the legal issues tied with this decision.
Commissioner Manolo Reyes then told the Herald that “the decision was made to postpone it.” Reyes suggested that the city would look at postponing other large events in the Miami area in March as well. Reyes continued saying “I agreed with the decision to postpone it, and now I’m worried about the Calle Ocho Festival.”
City Manager Art Noriega also spoke with the Herald, announcing “We’re working on a plan with them, and I’ll formally announce it on Friday. The devil’s in the details. I haven’t seen the actual draft of the agreement.” The choice would be an unprecedented one. Canceling Ultra Music Festival 2020 would be the first time in the festivals 21-year history that organizers would not be allowed to produce an event in the Miami area.
Fans of the festival quickly took to social media to express their anger, concerns, and confusion surrounding the possible cancellation. Given that the festival is only a few weeks away, many believe that ravers will still flock to Miami to celebrate given they have already bought hotels and flights. With no mention of any cancellations during Miami Music Week yet, it’s possible there will still be many events patrons can attend.
Others agreed with the cancellation of the festival, given the recent spikes in confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. So far, there are three cases that have been identified in Florida. Despite this, festivals like Okeechobee are still going on as planned this upcoming weekend.
Other festivals in the United States are also reportedly hanging on by a thread. SXSW, which is to begin March 13th in Austin, Texas, has already had major companies withdrawal from the event. The list includes Amazon Studios, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. However, some health officials believe canceling SXSW wouldn’t make Austin any safer from the virus.
Just yesterday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carolos A. Gimenez made a post on social media saying that they were not going to cancel any events in Miami, including Ultra, “following the guidance from Florida’s Surgeon General” on the coronavirus.
This is a developing story and we will be updating as new information comes in.
