The Miami Police Department has confirmed that this year’s Ultra Music Festival ended with “few related arrests in downtown Miami,” according to Miami news outlet Local10.
Officer Kiara Delva, a spokeswoman for the Miami Police Department, told Local10 that there weren’t any Ultra-related arrests on Friday, only four arrests on Saturday, and three arrests on Sunday. Delva confirmed that the cases were for illegal vending, theft, and trespassing.
NBC 6 South Florida reported 18 festival-related arrests at last year’s Ultra Miami. The 2023 arrest numbers were “fairly low-key for a second year in a row.” This year’s seven ultra-related arrests mean police bookings at the festival dropped by more than 50 percent.
With roughly 55,000 attendees descending upon Miami’s Bayfront Park for Ultra each year, the Miami Police Department’s chief concern is safety.
“We search everybody as they’re coming in to make sure there are no weapons or illegal items,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a news conference ahead of the festival on Wednesday. “We have undercover officers inside, not only looking for individuals looking to prey on victims—but any type of suspicious individuals.”
In addition to these efforts, Miami Police officers also closed a section of Biscayne Boulevard from Thursday night before the festival to 7 on Monday, the day after its conclusion.
The comparably low arrest numbers are another win for the Ultra Music Festival’s 24th edition in Miami. Despite cutting the celebration short due to severe rain on Friday, the festival rebounded quickly, cleaning up the flooded grounds by 4 PM the next day and extending the event by one hour on Saturday.
Featured image from Ultra Music Festival. Credit: Alive Coverage
