Honoring Ultra Music Festival: History, livesets and your chance to win two tickets to Weekend 1

by: Andrew Spada Mar 2, 2013

From its humble beginnings in 1999 as nothing more than a one day beach party to celebrate the final days of Winter Music Conference, to becoming the first dance music festival to expand to two weekends, Ultra Music Festival’s history is long and storied. Outgrowing its original location in South Beach 2 years after its inception, festival organizers Russell Faibish and Alex Omes sought refuge in Downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park, occupying the space until 2006 when Ultra moved to Bicentennial Park where it remained until 2012.

In 2010 the festival, headlined by Tiësto and deadmau5, achieved another milestone – selling out the event for the first time in its history. An occurrence that expanded the festival to 3 days, but did very little to satisfy the increasing demand. UMF 2011 and 2012 were both met with sold out crowds (breaking records in 2012 with 165,000 attendees), inciting organizers to expand the festival to 2 weekends, providing over 6 days of music to dance music fans from across the globe.

Over the course of its 15 year stint, nearly every electronic artist in the world has graced the festival’s stages. From original headliner, Rabbit in the Moon, to Avicii and Madonna at the 2012 festival, the event quickly transcended its underground image, attracting hundreds of thousands of fans – both old and young – to Downtown Miami every year.

To celebrate Ultra’s 15th year of championing the American dance music scene, we’ve spent hours scouring the Internet for our favorite sets from years past. Hundreds populate the internet but we’ve chosen some of the best and shared them with you here.

Add your personal favorites in the comments, and enter to win a chance at tickets to Weekend 1.