‘It’s too disruptive’: Downtown Miami residents discuss upcoming Ultra fest with organizers amid noise complaints – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MIAMI (WSVN) – Concerned downtown Miami residents came together to discuss the Ultra Music Festival with organizers and police, as the event is set to bring big crowds — and plenty of noise — to the area.

Several dozen residents met with City of Miami Police and Ultra organizers at a community town hall meeting organized by the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, Wednesday night.

The annual electronic dance music showcase, which brings celebrity DJs and fans from around the world to Bayfront Park, has long been a headache for some who live in the buildings directly across from the venue.

For residents who feel the event has gone on way too long, their main complaint is noise.

“It’s loud to the point that my hurricane glass is vibrating,” said one resident.

Resident Manuel Perez said Ultra, set to return to downtown Miami March 28-30, needs a new venue.

“Downtown Miami has changed. There are a lot of families, there are a lot of people living and enjoying the life of the downtown in Miami,” he said. “The Ultra Music Festival is way too much; it’s too disruptive.”

Perez’s biggest complaint is the same one his neighbors have.

“The biggest problem? Noise,” he said.

Raymond Martinez, head of security for Ultra, said that unlike some festivals, the group that puts on Ultra is local, and they are responding to the community’s concerns.

“Our agreement with the city and with the Bayfront Park Trust is, in addition to that monitoring, we have sound monitoring at each stage,” he said. “It’s 16 feet from the stage, whatever the decibel number is according to the park guidelines, we monitor that, as well as the sound that hits the building,”

Perez said he’s grateful for the chance given to residents to air out their grievances, but after a decade of living downtown, this is all an exercise in frustration.

“They already have a contract, they paid a lot of money to have that contract, and even though we have complained as a community against the Bayfromt Park Trust and the City of Miami, they bring the festival every year, they renew the contract every year,” he said.

The Ultra Music Festival started in Miami Beach in 1999. It then moved to Miami, where it has been for 25 years. It took one year off during the COVID pandemic. This year’s event has already sold out.

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