Here are a few household names to see at this year's 25th edition.
Adam Beyer
Sweden's Adam Beyer has been a consistent guest at Ultra for over a decade. The Drumcode label boss has made his brand of techno a signature flavor in Miami. Beyer's ability to bring in rolling bass lines, melodic anthems, and surging energy keeps the Ultra attendees well-fed. Beyer uses the Resistance Megastructure to test the limits of production and tease the guests with unreleased tracks. Regardless of the set, the beat will continue while Beyer pushes the boundaries for another year.
Afrobeta
It's easy to forget between the headliners that Ultra still reserves space on the lineup for local talent. And no better duo can show off their Miami bona fides than Afrobeta, whose live sets have been a feature at Ultra for years. The pair (Cuci Amador on vocals and Tony Laurencio on synths) add a needed segway of breezy electro-pop, funk, and Latin music to cut through the bass over at the Mainstage. The duo's infectious energy leaves you in a good mood with homespun tracks like "The Mango Song" and "Dream About You." The band incorporates its Cuban-American heritage into its music, making the festival feel a little more local.
Armin van Buuren
The legend has been splitting his Ultra duties between the main stage and his trance-focus sets via his A State of Trance radio show takeover for years. If an attendee had to choose, they should experience van Buuren at his A State of Trance stage, which always showcases unlikely back-to-backs and the best trance artists under one roof. The sets can pull at the heartstrings with their euphoria-bending melodies and blissed-out lyrics. The man of the hour has been in the scene for over 20 years and continues to show why trance can always persevere.
Carl Cox
It's hard to think of an artist who has impacted Ultra more than Carl Cox. The festival named and devoted an entire megastructure to him, after all. Cox began his tenure at Ultra in 2004 and kept returning and returning, eventually playing in his 10,000-square-foot playground, delivering surging house music and intense stadium techno that cannot be replicated anywhere else than Ultra by anyone other than Cox. This year, he will return to the Megastructure, now the Resistance Megastructure, to debut his 100 percent live show.
Deadmau5 B2B Pendulum
A few legends meeting on one stage is a surefire way to see what Ultra has done right in the last 25 years. Rob Swire of Pendulum and deadmau5 produced one of the landmark electronic tracks of the 21st century, 2009's "Ghost N Stuff," showing their mutual respect for each other's craft while creating an unforgettable piece of music. With the pair's upcoming set, Pendulum will perform live along with a DJ set, while Deadmau5 presents his Retro5pective set. Attendees should likely expect the melodic landscaping of Deadmau5 as well as all his classics, while Pendulum should bring gritty electronica to the crowd.
Flux Pavilion B2B Doctor P
Ultra continues to carry the flame from the 2012 dubstep explosion. Two artists who paved the way for the genre to enter the mainstream are Flux Pavilion and Doctor P, both of whom have been featured in Ultra's lineup for over 12 years. When these two forces meet, one should expect a blend of grime, moombahton, and the wrenching sounds of dubstep. The two longtime friends have made a name for themselves from their massive tracks, like Flux Pavilion's "I Can't Stop" and Doctor P's "Sweet Shop," which significantly pushed dubstep's overall triumph. Of course, look out for new promos off their label Circus Records.
Infected Mushroom
The Israeli duo makes their long-awaited return to Miami. Infected Mushroom represents the evolution of psytrance converging with live metal music over its 30-year career. Guitars scratch and holler, synths expand and overheat, and the bass lines blaze through the crowd. A proper Infected Mushroom set should bring energy, anxiety, and elation in perpetual motion. Maybe more importantly, it should be a perfect convergence of contemporary music with the haze of raving inside a warehouse to freaky music.
Josh Wink
Josh Wink isn't just an Ultra veteran –– he may be the festival's longest-serving act. The Philadelphian played the first installment in 1999 when the festival debuted on the beach, and a young Wink with blond dreadlocks played a set filled with tracks from his label, Ovum Recordings. Seeing Wink play is seeing the past and evolution of Ultra in a single experience. Wink himself is a mastermind with track selection, gracefully playing all across the spectrum. His production includes classics from the old acid era, with the loony laughing from "Don't Laugh" and the introspective sounds of "Higher State of Consciousness." Each track sounds as crisp as when Wink dropped them 25 years ago on Miami Beach.
Richie Hawtin
An anniversary show should evoke nostalgia. Hawtin will use this unique opportunity to expand on his celebrated compilation series, Decks, EFX & 909, produced in 1999. Hawtin's impressive résumé includes performing at Ultra numerous times over with his sonic-bending, warping minimal techno that he pushed into a new atmosphere and made accessible to a commercial audience. This year's set will have Hawtin going live, pushing new visuals and creating sounds almost out of thin air. While Ultra continues to gravitate toward the melodic techno sounds, the team always lets Hawtin subtract the music to the bare essentials.
Tiësto
Ultra may not have reached its current status as a premier festival without Tiësto's contribution. The artist has been in the lineups for years, usually for his big-room EDM tunes on the main stage. Whether you know him from his pulsating trance style or today through the more mainstream sounds, you can appreciate the foundation Tiësto laid for all other DJs on the main stage. The symbiosis between Tiësto and Ultra is apparent, as the artist's involvement enhances the festival, and the festival consistently invites him back.Ultra Music Festival 2025. Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30, 2025, at Bayfront Park, 301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; ultramusicfestival.com. Sold out.
Find the full list of Miami Music Week 2025 events here.
