Spring break curfew and Ultra in downtown: Everything you need to know
This weekend might be one of the craziest in Miami-Dade County. The spring break crowd and the Ultra Music Festival crowd are now converging and South Beach’s new curfew will cause complications. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s going on with the South Beach curfew as well as Ultra Music Festival.
Spring break started off calm and things got messy really quickly
Miami Beach imposed a midnight curfew starting March 24, after two shootings and injuries to police officers over the weekend shattered what had been a relatively calm spring break. Read more here.
Backlash to the curfew was immediate
The decision to elevate spring break crowd control into a community emergency has earned quick backlash from critics who charged that city leaders are overreacting, again, to large — mostly Black — crowds that have mostly been peaceful so far during this year’s gathering. Read more here.
Miami Beach issued a state of emergency due to “clear and present danger of a riot or other general public disorder” and imposed a daily midnight to 6 a.m. curfew on the South Beach area that starts March 24 at midnight and ends Monday morning. Critics say those measures cast a negative light over a city that has a history of mistreatment of Black visitors. Read more here.
South Beach even shut down liquor sales
Stores must halt alcohol sales at 6 p.m. starting March 24 in South Beach as part of the city’s new emergency rules that also impose a midnight curfew in the area targeting spring break crowds. Miami Beach announced the details of the regulation imposed by City Manager Alina Hudak in an emergency order signed Wednesday morning. Read more here.
A South Beach restaurant filed a lawsuit over the curfew
A South Beach steakhouse is suing Miami Beach to block a midnight curfew from taking effect in the entertainment district Thursday night, calling it an “arbitrary” measure that will unfairly wipe out late-night sales in an area that hasn’t seen gunfire or large crowds. Read more here.
While the spring break drama is unfolding, Miami prepares for Ultra
Performers and fans are ready for the comeback of Ultra to Bayfront Park after four years. Read more here.
Here is what you need to know about Ultra Music Festival. Read more here.
Meanwhile, Miami is happy to take South Beach’s displaced party people
At midnight, the electronic beats thumped over packed dance floors, a drag queen shimmied on stage and a party bus crammed with guests cruised the Miami streets. Across the causeway, restaurant workers stacked outdoor chairs on empty sidewalks, stragglers hailed Uber rides and a line of police vehicles eased down Ocean Drive. “Please clear the streets and return to your homes and your hotels,” an officer on a loudspeaker announced. “All businesses are closed.” Read more here.
Have a look at how empty South Beach was Thursday night
South Beach’s world-famous party district looked like a ghost town Thursday night. There seemed to be more police officers than tourists on Ocean Drive, the flashing lights of the cruisers lining Lummus Park rivaling the neon sheen on the Art Deco hotels. Read more here.
Traffic is going to be a mess in downtown, obviously
Miami police closed streets and set up barricades around parts of downtown Miami Thursday night in preparation for the crowd of partygoers that will be living it up at Bayfront Park this weekend. Police officers will also be stationed throughout downtown Miami to help control and direct traffic. Read more here.
Some people might want to avoid all of this craziness entirely
Ultra has returned to downtown Miami to bring the beats to fans — and the traffic headaches to everybody else. But you are not required to spend any time in downtown Miami this weekend. Here are other things to do around South Florida to avoid downtown Miami. Read more here.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 12:18 PM.