Ultra Music Festival 2023: The Ones To Watch 👀

With another edition of the iconic Bayfront Park weekender hitting Miami this weekend, a wave of anticipation hits festival fans around the world as Ultra Music Festival returns.

An estimated 165,000 people descended on the notorious sunkissed spot in 2022 to witness the first Ultra since the COVID-19 pandemic brought all events to a halt two years prior. Elated electronic music heads were greeted with standout performances from industry heavyweights including Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, and many more across the three-day festival.

Ultra has been a pinnacle of the annual calendar, with Miami Music Week preceding the renowned festival to create a must-attend occasion each year. Akin to an ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) or IMS (Ibiza Music Summit), music industry folk flock in their masses to the bustling networking hub that is Miami, with label heads, published, vocalists, and – perhaps most importantly – the DJs and producers of the world gracing the south Florida haven.

As the networking dies down, the latter head across to Bayfront Park to adorn the stage for the readied Ultra attendees, who each year are met with the same question: who should I go and see? With so many big names playing throughout the weekend we don’t envy the decisions that have to be made, but with that in mind, here are our Ones To Watch at Ultra Music Festival 2023 (times listed in Miami).

Martin Garrix – Friday @ 10:45pm – Ultra Main Stage

If every Martin Garrix Ultra performance is anything to go by, the Dutchman’s return to Miami will be an ID-laden hour of pure euphoria. Previous years have seen breathtaking combinations of unreleased music and exquisitely delivered visuals to create a spectacular advertisement for main stage sets done right. We don’t doubt that this year will be anything different.

Adam Beyer X Cirez D – Saturday @ 8pm – Resistance Mega Structure

A cornerstone of the annual MMW takeover, the combination of two of Sweden’s most consistent performers is undoubtedly a highlight of this year’s showcase. Under his Cirez D moniker, Eric Prydz’s regular partnering with Adam Beyer expects to bring a journey through progressive, techno, and all that lies between. Get ready for this, it’s bound to go hard.

Kx5 – Sunday @ 8:45pm – Live Stage

The collaborative project of Kaskade and deadmau5, Kx5 dropping their debut album last Friday is a sure fire reason to be in attendance for their maiden Ultra performance. Standout tracks like ‘Escape’ and ‘Alive’ have swept the electronic music scene, and the two Canadian veterans are guaranteed to put on a performance for the ages. Strap in, this is not to be missed.

Whilst set clashes, group preferences, and the good old “we’ve got a really good spot so we don’t want to move” adage might sully the intentions of catching all three of our recommendations if you’re down in Miami, there simply isn’t much of a solution we can offer. However, if you’re at home and wanting a piece of the action then catch all of the above – and more – via the official Ultra Music Festival live stream each day at ultramusicfestival.com.