Ultra: Hype and disaster

By PHOEBE FITZ

Ultra Music Festival is one of the largest EDM music festivals in the world, attracting more than 330,000 people from 80 different countries in 2013.

Advertisements, pictures, videos, blog posts and shoutouts for Ultra are found virtually everywhere on the Web when the festival approaches, but after this year, it is still in the news even after it’s completion.

With all the financial success, Ultra this year also brought its fair share of tragedy: a security guard was trampled and left fighting for her life with brain hemorrhaging and a broken leg, and a 21-year-old man mysteriously died. The news media are being flooded with these and other stories, bring this question to Miami’s authorities: Should there be an Ultra 2015 held in Miami?

The Miami Herald hosts a link on its website to a poll, asking, “Is hosting large festivals worth it?” and reports that both Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff are trying to end the festival’s presence in Miami. Emotional stories regarding the trampled security guard’s family continue to use the media to deter Ultra 2015 from happening in Miami.

Will they be successful?