‘Ultra Miami was definitely ready for some Hardstyle’

By Katarina Cvetko 29 March 2022

Welcome to the world of hardstyle, Ultra! After more than 20 years, Ultra Music Festival not only welcomed hard dance artists to the line-up for the very first time: they dedicated an entire day and stage to the harder styles and it definitely made big impression.

READ: The Elite about their brand new album: “5 months of hard work all came down to this moment”

Ultra is known as one of the most famous festivals worldwide, with approximately 150.000 visitors and the biggest headliners around the globe: like Martin Garrix, Armin Van Buuren and even Hardwell made his return after 4 years. World renowned hard dance label Dirty Workz made history at the 22^nd edition of Ultra Music Festival last weekend, bringing hardstyle to one of the biggest events in the world. Celebrating a massive 15 years in the business, Dirty Workz kicked off their 2022 world tour in the heart of Miami, showcasing 10 of the finest local and international hard dance acts.

‘The Hardstyle stage at Ultra Music Festival Miami is here to stay’

From the moment the gates opened, hard dance fans flocked over to the UMF Radio Stage, where a star-studded lineup took over the small (but mighty) space for the final day of the festival. The crowd only grew bigger as the evening progressed, with fans as far as the eye could see, gathering to see Sub Zero Project, Darren Styles and Ben Nicky. Hearing tracks such as ‘Trip To Mars (Astronauts)’ at the iconic grounds of Bayfront Park emphasised that Miami was definitely ready for some Hardstyle.

As the sun went down, the man himself, Coone, performed in front of a full house, and the Miami crowd simply could not get enough! The atmosphere was very uplifting: also because of the remarkable skyscrapers in the background and palm trees around the dancefloor. We can definitely get used to this site.

sub zero project at ultra miami hardstyle dirty workz

‘The Dirty Workz stage at Ultra Miami is one giant step for the genre’

Next up was Da Tweekaz, and although Kenth was unfortunately unable to make it to Miami, there was absolutely no shortage of energy. With special guests LNY TNZ and Bassbrain also making appearances throughout the set and my fellow ravers loved it. Finally, another UK favourite, Gammer, came to close out the night in style. Check out our Instagram stories to see how the 3rd day of the festival went down.

The very first hardstyle takeover at Ultra Music Festival was absolutely massive: this is only the beginning for the genre in Miami. We can’t wait to see what future editions have in store and hope to see more hardstyle acts at Ultra Music Festival – perhaps even at the mainstage one day!