Organizers of the Ultra Music Festival in Miami are working feverishly to prepare the flooded grounds at Bayfront Park and reopen the gates Saturday afternoon following Friday’s abrupt cancellation due to dangerous thunderstorms.
In a statement on social media Saturday morning, the festival said: “Hey everyone! We are working hard to prepare the site before opening the doors this afternoon. We will be dancing again soon.“
The announcement comes after Friday night’s headliner performances by Tiesto and others were cut short when severe storms brought lightning, heavy rain, and high winds to the downtown Miami area. Organizers were forced to evacuate tens of thousands of fans from the park for safety reasons.
While Saturday’s weather is expected to improve by the afternoon hours, the storms have already caused scheduling changes. DJ/producer EDX took to Instagram to announce that his opening set scheduled for Saturday has been canceled as the festival works to reset operations.
The National Weather Service indicates conditions should gradually improve through the day on Saturday, with rain chances diminishing and winds calming after waves of thunderstorms rolled through South Florida on Friday and early Saturday. However, mild rain chances will linger into the evening hours.
As of late Saturday morning, no official timeline has been provided for when the Ultra Music Festival grounds will reopen to fans. More delays and schedule changes are possible as organizers inspect for any remaining flooding or damage at Bayfront Park following Friday night’s stormy weather.
According to Ultra Music Festival’s officials, day 2 is not canceled. Ultra Music Festival will re-open its gate at 4 PM today, Sunday the 23rd for the Miami 2024 edition and will run extended hours. This means it won’t stop at midnight because of the City’s curfew for public outdoor events but it will go on for a couple of hour more.
