On Nov. 15 Ultra Music Festival announced their flagship festival will officially move to a new, larger location in Miami, Virginia Key, following approval from the City of Miami. The 21st edition of the huge electronic dance music event will take place on March 29-31, 2019, following Winter Music Conference and to close out Miami Music Week.

Virginia Key is an 863-acre freeway-accessible island in Miami home to the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park and Miami Marine Stadium Flex Park, the festival's new event space. Ultra explains the new ocean-side location is significantly larger than their former venue at Bayfront Park, located in downtown Miami. The new, bigger space has allowed Ultra to increase their attendee capacity and offer more tickets than in prior years, as well as extending the event end time until 2:00 a.m. each day.

"We are excited to announce that the City of Miami has agreed to a deal to relocate Ultra Music Festival to the beautiful and historic Virginia Key," Ultra said in a statement. "The new venue will allow the festival to evolve into its new, larger home, ultimately creating a more enjoyable experience for all festival attendees. We look forward to a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship with our partners at the City of Miami and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park as we commemorate keeping Ultra in the City of Miami."
 
Ultra also acknowledged the "cultural and historic significance" of Virginia Key Beach, which was a safe gathering place for Miami's black population during the dark times of segregation, and has committed to honor the location's history and take care of its natural environment. The partnership with Ultra and the city will allow around $20 million to be set aside for the county's first African American Museum.

Emilio Gonzalez, Miami City Manager, said the agreement "keeps this world-renowned event in our global city, while providing operating funds for a long-desired African American History Museum at Historic Virginia Key Beach."

Ultra Music Festival began in 1999 in Miami when now-President/CEO Russell Faibisch threw the first event with the late Alex Omes. It began as a celebratory event in March the weekend following Winter Music Conference, as many world-renowned DJs and producers from around the world were already in town for the conference. As both events grew and the festival gained more and more loyal fans and performers, Ultra grew to offer spin-off festivals worldwide, under the Ultra Worldwide brand.

The company announced last year that they had purchased the conference, streamlining all events as part of Miami Music Week. The revamped conference, traditionally geared towards those working in electronic music, will now include two segments: an educational segment for music consumers to learn about the industry in addition to one aimed at industry professionals.

More info and tickets for Ultra Music Festival are available on their website.

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