MIAMI (CelebrityAccess) Miami staple Ultra Music Festival has found a new home, at least for a year, on Florida’s Virginia Key next year.
Miami commissioners voted last night to approve a three-day event on the island but not without vocal protests. In “true Miami fashion,” the process wasn’t simple, according to the Miami Herald. The vote followed a full day of public comments, including objections from Key Biscayne residents who are concerned about traffic on the only road to and from the island, a road called Rickenbacker Causeway. There were also concerns about loud music harming wildlife.
Not only that but Ultra Music Festival, which has been part of the Miami scene for two decades, is expected to take place March 29-31, the same weekend as the Rapture Electronic Music Festival.
“In the end, the concerns outlined in considerable detail seemingly meant little to most of Miami’s elected officials,” the Herald said. “Most of the debate focused on the money.”
There was to be a minimum $1.4 million fee to the city, potentially more with successful ticket sales, but the commission coaxed out $2 million from organizers.
“This is an opportunity to put a greater amount of dollars in the Virginia Key Trust,” commissioner Keon Hardemon said.
The decision is considered a major success for the festival, considering it was kicked out of Miami’s Bayfront Park in late September.
