Miami’s Ultra Music Festival Cuts Day One Short Due to Severe Weather

Miami’s Ultra Music Festival was forced to cut its opening day festivities short Friday as severe weather swept into the area.

Even before the festival opened Friday, organizers warned attendees that they were anticipating rain in the forecast, and recommended that they bring ponchos and raincoats. By nightfall, however, the rain arrived with both strong winds and lightning, forcing organizers to “temporarily” shut down the festival at Miami’s Bayfront Park.

More from Rolling Stone

• Ultra Music Festival Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Refund Policy

• Sirius XM to Broadcast Ultra Music Festival Experience

• Ultra Music Festival Offers 'Extra Ultra Hour,' But No Refunds, After Coronavirus Cancellation

The severe weather continued after the evacuation, and Ultra’s opening night was ultimately called off three hours early as the National Weather Service issued both a tornado and flash flooding warning. “Severe weather is still in the area,” organizers announced Friday night. “We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Headlining sets by Hardwell, Fisher X Chris Lake Present Under Construction, and Armin Van Buuren were among those impacted by the sudden cancellation.

The rain continued into Saturday morning with an estimated two-to-three inches drenching the area near the festival. However, the weather was expected to clear up by Saturday afternoon, and as of press time, Ultra Music Festival’s Saturday plans are continuing as scheduled.

David Guetta, Martin Garrix, RL Grime, Peggy Gou, Gryffin, Steve Aoki and more are among the artists booked to play Saturday.

Best of Rolling Stone

• The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

• All 243 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked

• Carrie Underwood Was a Teenage Metalhead: Her Best Hard Rock Covers