Virus fears will postpone Miami’s Ultra music festival

MIAMI — Fears of the new coronavirus have led to postponement of the three-day Ultra electronic dance music festival in Miami, city officials said Thursday.

The festival that draws thousands of people from around the world was set to begin March 20 at Miami’s downtown Bayfront Park. Steven Ferreiro, chief of staff for City Commissioner Manolo Reyes, said the event will be postponed with an official announcement expected Friday.

“There’s a lot of details to work out,” Ferreiro said.

It’s likely Ultra could be postponed until 2021, meaning there would be no festival this year, officials said. Mayor Francis Suarez had said at an earlier press conference that Ultra should not go forward because of the coronavirus concerns.

“I can tell you that just in the last 24 hours, I have received countless emails and messages of all kinds urging the city to act,” Suarez said at the Wednesday news conference. “That is another major motivator to have this conversation before it gets too late.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how the postponement will affect people who bought tickets or whether other satellite events would still take place.

Among the acts scheduled to perform at the main event are David Guetta, The Chainsmokers, Afrojack, Cash Cash, Martin Garrix and Galantis, according to the Ultra website.

The Associated Press