Ultra Music Festival Leaving Miami After 21 Years

Jason Koerner / Getty

Ultra Music Festival Leaving Miami After 21 Years

Jason Koerner / Getty

Ultra Music Festival has been held in Miami for 21 years. But today, the EDM festival took to Twitter to share an open letter announcing the termination of Ultra’s license with the city. According to the letter, the festival is “now finalizing a new South Florida location.”

There have been more than a few slip-ups leading to this decision. Back in 2014, Ultra attendees trampled a security guard and left her in critical condition. The Mayor, along with other Miami city officials, called to ban the festival. A man died at Ultra that same year.

The festival’s relocation to Miami’s Virginia Key island this year led to a lack of proper transportation back to the mainland, forcing tens of thousands of concertgoers to trek miles across the Rickenbacker Causeway, as the Miami New Times reports.

Not to mention the disgruntled fish. According to the Miami Herald, a recent study found that the festival’s booming electronic music caused University of Miami’s toadfish to exhibit severe stress levels. The report indicates that the music caused the fish more stress than a potential predator would.

“Throughout the years of Ultra’s existence, our top priority has always been to offer you the best possible festival experience,” Ultra writes in today’s letter. “After listening to feedback from many of you (including 20,000 fans who took our post-event survey), it is clear that the festival experience on Virginia Key was simply not good enough. This is Ultra Music Festival, after all, and our attendees expect us to deliver on our commitment to excellence. Being committed to excellence not only means constantly striving to become better, it also means being willing to change things that are not working.”

No word on whether Ultra will take DJ Colonel Sanders with them to their new South Florida location. Read the full letter below.

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