6 Fun Activities You Can Do This Weekend If You Can’t Attend Ultra Music Festival

It may be hard for those of us on the East Coast to believe, but festival season officially here, and the long-awaited Ultra Music Festival is taking place March 27-29 down in Miami. For those of you who are headed to Ultra – rest assured that you will have a fantastic three days. But, unfortunately, some of us are not that lucky, and have to miss out on the start of festival season.

Even if you are left stranded without Ultra tickets, there are still ways to have fun that last weekend in March. Here are some that we over here at EDM Maniac came up with.

1. Experience Miami During MMW

Trust me, we get it. Attending Ultra is not cheap, especially if you have to factor in travel and hotel costs. But, if you’re lucky enough to live in Miami or the surrounding area, you still have the opportunity to experience some top DJs at a much lower cost. Miami Music Week, which begins on March 24^th and runs all the way through Sunday, hosts countless EDM parties every day featuring headliners such as Benny Benassi, Calvin Harris, Hardwell, Tiesto, and Diplo (just to name a few). The list of shows goes on and on, and you’ll definitely be able to see your favorites for a fraction of the price. Plus, if you are coming from out of town and stay Tuesday-Friday, hotel prices will be much lower than they would be over the weekend.

2. Host a Live Stream Party with Your Rave Family

Ultra will be streaming their sets live over the weekend on twitch.tv! And what better way to imagine yourself there than to gather your rave squad together and watch together at someone’s house? Hook your computer up to your TV with an HDMI chord, and blast the music while pretending you’re actually there. The best thing about streaming Ultra as compared to, let’s say, Tomorrowland, is that you don’t have to struggle with the time difference and secretly stream sets while you’re sitting in class or at work.

3. Take the Weekend off to do some Serious Festival Planning

Since Ultra technically marks the kickoff of festival season, it’s time to get organized and start planning out the coming months. If you’ve already purchased tickets to upcoming festivals, make sure you have travel and accommodations set up, as prices will start to rise as the dates get closer. And, if you are planning on attending festivals this summer but don’t have your tickets yet, it’s time to lock them in. EDC Las Vegas GA is already sold out, Tomorroworld Dreamville is extremely close to being sold out, and with lineups recently released, tickets for EDCNY and Mysteryland will go quick.

4. Hold a Festival ‘Secret Santa’ with your Rave Fam

Think outside the box, and get together with your crew to prepare for festival season. Draw names, just like you would with a Secret Santa, and exchange small gifts essential for festival season. It’s easy to forget the essentials when you’re busy working on creative outfits – fanny packs, diffraction glasses, knee socks, headbands, and snapbacks are all great, useful gifts you can find for 20 dollars or less on any ravewear site or custom shops on Etsy.com.

5. Put your creativity to the test – Project Runway Style

If you and your friends are REALLY bored and experiencing serious FOMO during Ultra weekend, try mixing things up and harness your creativity. Get your crew together, and with a budget of 20 dollars and a 20-minute time limit, find whatever you can in your local craft store to make the perfect rave outfit. This is a fun, exciting way of coming up with an outfit that may even wind up coming into use for festival season. You never know how far 20 dollars can get you!

6. Don’t Pout, and Head out to your Favorite Club or Bar

Despite many of the world’s hottest DJs spending part of the weekend in Miami for Ultra, there are still shows happening around the county that you won’t want to miss out on. Use a new app called ‘The DJ Calendar’ to see who is playing where, and don’t let an Ultra-less weekend go to waste.