Miami did it again. It thoroughly lived up to its reputation as one of the most party-crazy and seductive cities in the world during this year’s Miami Music Week, the annual electronic music affair that takes over Miami for one week every March.
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/ultrafanpage
Each year without fail, over one hundred thousand people from all corners of the world flock to Miami to see their favorite DJs and artists perform on stage, at clubs, at pool parties, and at all hours of the day and night. One nightclub, Space, hosted after-parties that lasted until the afternoon hours of the following day.
About 400 events and parties took place during the week, but most in attendance would agree that the adage “save the best for last” completely applied (no surprise there). The week culminated with Ultra Music Festival and Masquerade Motel, three- and two-day (respectively) electronic music rage-fests that started in the early afternoon and ended at around midnight each night, only to be followed by equally as exciting parties at local nightclubs all over the Miami Beach area.
Photo credit: http://joonbug.com/national/frequency/WMC-Wednesday-Party-Roundup-Alesso-Laidback-Luke-and-more/rEI613Yr9eY
DJs from all over the globe performed for rambunctious, neon-clad fans, most between the ages of 21 and 30, some of whom traveled from places as far as Australia purely for the event. Ultra’s multi-stage lineup, which could be tracked on the Ultra 2012 Smartphone App, included Tiesto, Scrillex, Afrojack, Benni Benassi, Avicii, Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Bassnectar, and Bloody Beetroots, among others. Madonna also made a surprise appearance to open for one of the sets. Masquerade Motel featured Swedish House Mafia, Calvin Harris, Alesso, and some other lesser known DJs all on a single stage only a few blocks away from Ultra.
The festivals, which don’t run cheap and spawn tons of last-minute ticket-scalping, are basically an excuse to wear body paint as your outfit and eat drugs as your meals while burning hundreds of calories bumping to the beat of mostly lyric-less electronic music for hours on end. It’s safe to say that a majority of those in attendance were in no shape to drive home, which would account for why Miami’s train system was so flooded that at certain points the doors wouldn’t close.
Despite the obvious abuse of drugs and alcohol (Madonna referenced ecstasy’s cousin-drug molly and one girl was caught making love to a tree), and despite what must have been an exhausting clean-up of the city, the weekend was an enormous success for the advancement of the electronic music industry as well as for Miami’s tourism in general. And the best part is, the countdown to Miami Music Week 2013 has already begun.
Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/ultrafanpage
