Ultra Music Festival Tickets

GA or VIP: the call for a no re-entry weekend

Ultra Music Festival runs Friday to Sunday in late March at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami; the next edition is listed for March 26 to 28, 2027. Every pass is a three-day wristband, and there are two tiers. The deciding fact is that Ultra allows no re-entry: once you are in, the grounds are your whole day.

• Choose GA if you plan to bounce between stages and do not mind crowds. It covers all three days and every stage, with premium restrooms throughout the park.
• Choose VIP if you want a guaranteed view of the Main Stage and somewhere to recover. It adds separate entrances, the VIP Village with its own bars and restrooms, a raised Main VIP deck facing the Main Stage and raised viewing at the other stages. You must be 21 or older.

Because you cannot step out for a break, VIP's raised deck and short restroom lines are worth more here than at festivals with open gates.

Which stage to base yourself at

Each stage at Ultra has a clear identity, so pick a home base by taste.

• Main Stage: the largest production and the biggest mainstream EDM names, in front of a crowd of about 60,000.
• Resistance: the underground stage since 2015, home to techno and deeper house; since 2017 it has absorbed the arena Carl Cox hosted for years.
• A State of Trance: built around Armin van Buuren's radio show, first staged in 2011.

For a Main Stage headliner on GA, arrive early and settle where you can see the screens; VIP holders can use the raised deck instead.

Booking history from Tiësto to Swedish House Mafia

• The early 2000s: Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Tiësto.
• 2012: Fatboy Slim, Justice, Skrillex, Avicii and Kraftwerk, with Madonna making a surprise appearance.
• 2018: Swedish House Mafia reunited to close the festival, their first live set together since 2013.
• 2023: Zedd, Martin Garrix, kx5 (deadmau5 and Kaskade), Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren and Swedish House Mafia.
• 2026: Sara Landry with Amelie Lens, Boris Brejcha, DJ Snake, Major Lazer, John Summit and Eric Prydz, among others.

The phase one lineup, usually announced months out, triggers the first jump in demand. The second comes as Miami Music Week travel gets booked.

Wristband activation and resale

Each attendee must activate their own wristband, and the festival offers no refunds or exchanges. The festival lands during Miami Music Week, alongside the Winter Music Conference and a citywide run of parties, which keeps demand strong through March. Every Reserved Seat order carries a 100% guarantee.

Downtown Miami by Metromover and on foot

The park's address is 301 Biscayne Boulevard, on the bay side of downtown. Parking nearby is limited and costly during the festival, so transit is the better choice.

• Metromover: a free automated people mover that loops through downtown and Brickell, with stops close to the park.
• Metrorail: links downtown with neighborhoods north and south, with transfers to Metromover.
• Metrobus: several routes reach downtown.
• Walking and rideshare: easy from downtown and Brickell hotels, though the streets jam up at closing each night.

Since you cannot leave and come back, a room in downtown or Brickell keeps the trip short. Staying in Miami Beach means crossing a causeway every day.

Clear bags, ID and banned items

As of 2026, the festival's help center and security page set the rules below; review the Ultra security policies before you go.

• ID and age: 18 and over with valid ID; 21 and over to drink or use a VIP pass.
• Bags: clear plastic, vinyl or PVC only, no larger than 13 by 17 inches, plus a small clutch about the size of a hand. No backpacks.
• Hydration packs: allowed if they are not backpacks; any extra pocket big enough for a paperback will be refused.
• Banned: all weapons, pocket knives and self-defense sprays included, and illegal drugs or paraphernalia.
• Overnight: no camping and no overnight stays on the grounds.

Miami in March is warm and humid with a fair chance of rain. Pack sunscreen, earplugs, a rain layer that fits in a clear bag and a charged phone.

Beach party to global brand: the Ultra timeline

The name comes from Depeche Mode's 1997 record. Founders Alex Omes, Ray Navarro and Russell Faibisch held the debut as a single day at Miami Beach's Collins Park on March 13, 1999, with roughly 10,000 people attending.

• Homes: Collins Park in 1999 and 2000; Bayfront Park from 2001 to 2005; Bicentennial Park from 2006 to 2011; Bayfront again from 2012 to 2018; Virginia Key in 2019, an edition that drew poor reviews; and Bayfront Park since 2022.
• Size: three days since 2011, two weekends with 330,000 combined attendance for the 15th anniversary in 2013, and about 165,000 over three days in 2024.
• Adults only: the festival said in September 2014 that it would no longer admit minors.
• Disruptions: canceled in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. On March 22, 2024, rain, lightning and wind shut down a full day for the first time; the festival reopened the next afternoon with extended hours.

Readers of DJ Mag voted it the top festival in the world in both 2016 and 2017, and Ultra Worldwide now stages events on several continents.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Ultra Music Festival
• Ultra Music Festival – Official site (2027 dates)
• Ultra Music Festival – Tickets
• Ultra Music Festival – Security policies
• Ultra help center – Minimum age
• Ultra help center – Location
• Ultra help center – Tickets