Ultra Music Festival returns to Bayfront Park

Expect traffic delays downtown this weekend as about 55,000 electronic dance music fans flock to Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park today through Sunday.

Catch up fast: The three-day EDM festival, which debuted in 1999, returned to Bayfront Park in 2022 after a calamitous one-year detour in Virginia Key and two COVID cancellations.

State of play: With Ultra in town — along with Heat home games and "Hamilton" playing at the Adrienne Arsht Center — downtown is going to be a traffic nightmare.

• Expect slowdowns and traffic detours on Biscayne Boulevard through Monday at 7am.

The intrigue: Ultra comes on the heels of another electronic music festival, the two-night Afterlife Miami, which sparked resident complaints on Thursday.

• The Brickell Homeowners Association shared a video on social media showing powerful light beams shining through people's windows from Miami Marine Stadium.
• Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo said his office received an "alarming number of complaints" and announced new noise restrictions for the festival, which concluded last night.

What they're saying: In a statement to Axios, city of Miami spokesperson Kenia Fallat said the city had met with Afterlife organizers to create a plan to minimize complaints.

• She said Ultra will adhere to a noise mitigation plan as it has in years past.
• Ultra representatives say they have a 24-hour hotline for residents to voice any concerns, WSVN Channel 7 reports .

James Torres, Downtown Neighbors Alliance president, tells Axios his organization has worked to get more security resources for downtown residential buildings and will make sure Ultra doesn't exceed expected noise levels.

• "[W]e will be professionally monitoring sound levels this weekend to make sure the festival organizers stick to the decibel levels they've publicly committed to."

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