Today, Ultra Music Festival announced the phase one lineup for their 2022 Miami edition. As expected, the event has drawn some of the most impressive acts in electronic music for a comprehensive rave experience.
The Ultra lineup is always based on both live and DJ sets, offering a far more diverse sonic pallet than many other festivals of similar size. On the DJ front, every sound from the MainStage EDM of Alesso, to the pulsating techno of Amelie Lens, to the heavy bass of Zeds Dead will be rocking by the beach.
The live sets this year are all very adventurous in scope, and as of now, they are all exclusive to Ultra. Miami kingpin Carl Cox is performing a hybrid live set while Pendulum returns with the full band. An especially rare treat will be SLANDER‘s live set with vocalist Dylan Matthew, who contributed to their biggest hit, “Love Is Gone.”
Over the last two years, Ultra has faced severe trials and tribulations. Even before COVID, there was uncertainty surrounding the venue, forcing the festival to change locations from their ancestral home of Bayfront Park to Virginia Key for their most recent edition in 2019.
There was a sigh of relief when the Miami government allowed Ultra to return to Bayfront Park in 2020, but everyone knows what happened to festivals that year. Ultra was likely one of the events most adversely affected from the COVID-19 pandemic. The sweeping closure of large-scale gatherings forced Ultra to cancel just days before the festival.
Given the considerable proximity to the start date, Ultra had already invested huge amounts of money into the 2020 event, and thus did not offer refunds to 2020 ticket holders. The event instead opted for free admission to either the 2021 or 2022 event as well as other amenities like merchandise discounts.
Upon the news of no refunds, multiple class action lawsuits were filed against Ultra on behalf of ticket holders. One of the lawsuits filed claimed Ultra “engaged in unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices by advertising, offering, and promoting the festival, taking individuals’ money to attend said advertised festival, cancelling the festival, and then failing to provide ticket purchasers with the option of receiving a refund, effectively shifting all risk and costs of Ultra’s decision to cancel the Event to the consumers.”
Many of the lawsuits were filed earlier this year, and with the slow rate of court proceedings there hasn’t been news of the conclusion. However, with this new lineup announcement the hope is that many ticket holders from 2020 are going to attend this upcoming edition.
Given the amount of anticipation surrounding Ultra’s return to Miami after two years off, this event is sure to be special. Ultra Music Festival 2022 will take place in Bayfront Park, Miami on March 25-27, 2022. Check out the lineup announcement video below, and click here for more information on tickets.
Featured image by Rukes
