Ultra Music Festival returned this past weekend, ushering in more than 100,000 people to Miami’s Bayfront Park. Despite an EDM festival’s reputation for attendees partaking in excessive drinking, drugs and plenty of bad decisions, the weekend ended with a relatively low number of arrests.
For the second year in a row, authorities reported less than 20 arrests throughout the entire weekend. In 2019, 35 people were arrested (Ultra was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The City of Miami Police Department made seven arrests on Friday. Another seven arrests were made Saturday and five Sunday. Charges included disorderly conduct, disorderly intoxication, trespassing and possession of fraudulent credit cards, according to the department.
Miami Fire Rescue officials stated that 49 patients were evaluated on the festival grounds for injuries throughout the festival, and 15 were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening conditions.
It appears a expectation of safety concerns, due to the number of attendees, prompted heavy police presence and security. This seems to have helped ensure see a lower numbers of arrests.