The back story
Miami’s music year: Music Week, Ultra and the festivals, the back story
Winter Music Conference, Miami Music Week, Ultra and the city’s festivals through the year.
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Image courtesy of © Vincent Escudero · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsEvery March the electronic music world comes to Miami: the industry for the Winter Music Conference, DJs and fans for Miami Music Week, and 165,000 people for Ultra by the bay. This is the story of that week, and of the festivals that fill the rest of Miami’s music year.
The conference
It began with a meeting of the industry. Since 1985 the Winter Music Conference, the world’s longest-running electronic music conference, has brought DJs, producers, label owners, promoters, radio programmers and technology makers to Miami.
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Image courtesy of © HollywoodAdam78 · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsLong before streaming, WMC was where new artists broke into the American market, independent labels found distributors and new sounds were heard first. Its 37th edition, in 2027, moves to the Kimpton EPIC Hotel downtown, with three days of panels, keynote interviews, workshops, a gear exhibition, A&R sessions and two rooftop pool parties.
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Image courtesy of © Ss279 · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsMiami Music Week
Around the conference grew a week of music. Miami Music Week, one of the world’s most recognised electronic music events, gathers the city’s shows into one programme: pool parties at the hotels, nights at the clubs, parties on boats in the bay.
Music by day at the hotel pools is part of the week’s character, and the conference itself still closes its days with parties on the roof.
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Image courtesy of © Vincent & Bella Productions · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsUltra
The week ends with Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park, on the bay in downtown Miami. Ultra’s Miami edition draws 165,000 fans from 90 countries over three days.
Ultra 2027 is on 26, 27 and 28 March. General admission is for those aged 18 and over, VIP for 21 and over, and a valid photo ID is needed every day. There is no re-entry once inside.
Through the year
Music does not stop when the March crowds leave. Calle Ocho Music Festival, the heart of Carnaval Miami, fills 15 blocks of Little Havana with Latin music, run by the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana; in 2027 it is on 14 March, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., between SW 12th and 27th Avenues.
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Image courtesy of © Alienasomnia · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsJazz in the Gardens, the City of Miami Gardens’ music festival, comes to Hard Rock Stadium every March. In the autumn III Points takes over Mana Wynwood with 13 stages across five city blocks; its 2027 dates have not yet been announced.
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Image courtesy of © ULTIMATE International MediaOn Miami Beach, The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater on Washington Avenue hosts concerts and shows through the year, and the neon-lit terraces of Ocean Drive are the classic night out.
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Image courtesy of © ULTIMATE International MediaPlanning your trip
For Ultra, take the Metromover, which stops right outside Bayfront Park; MiamiCentral station is about a mile away on foot. Hotels downtown and on the beach fill months ahead for Music Week.
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Image courtesy of © ULTIMATE International MediaOur advice: book early, pace the week with a pool party or two by day, and keep one morning free for the beach.
Why it's on our list
- The conference
- Miami Music Week
- Ultra
- Through the year
- Planning your trip
Location
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