25 Most Unforgettable Performances at Ultra Music Festival

Few music festivals have been going on as long as Miami's Ultra Music Festival. For a quarter century, it's been championing dance music, first a one-day beach festival, then a two-day bash, and currently as a three-day spectacle with editions across the globe.

Because most publications didn't pay attention to dance music and its many subgenres until the 2010s EDM bubble, New Times is one of the few media entities with a history of covering Ultra almost since its inception. (At one point, there was even a New Times stage at the festival.) Perhaps that's why reliving the most important moments and performances of the festival's past 25 years felt appropriate.

From Tiësto debut and Carl Cox's first stage to the Cure's headline performance and Swedish House Mafia's reunion, here are the most unforgettable moments in Ultra's 25-year history.

Ultra Beach Music Festival (1999)

Before Ultra became the Ultra we know today, it started as a one-day beach party on the sands of South Beach directly across from Collins Park. The first lineup featured sets by Hybrid, LTJ Bukem, Armand van Helden, Josh Wink, Icey, George Acosta, and others, with Tampa-based act Rabbit in the Moon serving as headliners. Rabbit in the Moon returned to the festival several more times, including in 2003, where they shared top billing with Underworld, and in 2004, coheadlining with the Chemical Brothers.

Move to Bayfront Park (2001)

After two years, it was clear Ultra had outgrown its original home. Organizers decided the best course of action was to look for more room across the causeway, and they found it at Bayfront Park. Headling that year were Paul Oakenfold and Paul van Dyke, who spun on the Main Stage (today's Live Stage). Other acts included Sasha & John Digweed, Carl Cox, Bob Sinclar, Andy C, Sander Kleinenberg, Pete Tong, Deep Dish, and Timo Maas.

Tiësto's Debut (2002)

By the early aughts, Dutch DJ and producer Tiësto was already conquering the European dance music scene, but American audiences were definitely less familiar with it. Still, one has to imagine that savvier American dance music fans were excited for Tiësto's debut set at the festival. Though not a headliner, he was still given a slot on the Main Stage, where we played an all-trance set — a far cry from the EDM/progressive house sound he's known for today.

Carl Cox & Friends Debut (2005)

Save for 2024, the Carl Cox stage has been a fixture at the festival for two decades. It all started in 2005 with the Carl Cox & Friends Arena. In addition to Cox, the evening featured sets by Christian Smith, Danny Howells, and Josh Wink. Over the years, Cox's stage would grow in prominence, hosting a who's who of dance music talent.

The Killers (2006)

You aren't misreading that. Months before the release of the band's sophomore album Sam's Town and still riding the high of 2004's Hot Fuss, the Killers headlined Ultra. It marked the beginning of an era when Ultra wasn't afraid to book actual live acts — something absent from the festival today. I witnessed this set in person, and the Killers' danceable brand of alternative rock did not feel out of place at the festival. The stage they performed at was packed with excited festivalgoers wanting to see the band live.

The Prodigy (2006)

Besides the Killers, the other 2006 headliner was the UK big beat act the Prodigy. It marked the first time they appeared at the festival. Liam Howlett, Keith Flint, and Maxim delivered an energetic set filled with the bangers like "Their Law," "Firestarter," "Voodoo People," and "Smack My Bitch Up." The Prodigy's last appearance at Ultra was in 2017, two years before Flint's untimely death.

The Cure (2007)

Ultra founder Russell Faibisch has repeatedly said in interviews that he's most proud of having the Cure headline the festival — and it's hard to disagree. While the Cure might not seem like the kind of band that would perform at Ultra, it makes sense, especially in the 2000s, where there was more overlap between dance music and alternative goth scenes. The band played the Main Stage, drawing just as big of a crowd as the EDM superstars would do so in later editions.

Black Eyed Peas (2009)

In 2009, the Black Eyed Peas were gearing up to release The E.N.D., one of the first pop music records that would embrace the emerging EDM trend. In February, they gave listeners a taste of what to expect with the single "Boom Boom Pow," an electro hip-hop cut that leaned heavily into EDM. The album also featured collaborations with David Guetta, Mark Knight, and Boys Noize. The quartet's appearance at Ultra was a way to solidify the Black Eyed Peas' bona fides regarding EDM to a skeptical public. Also joining the group on stage was LMFAO, who were riding high on the success of their debut, Party Rock.

Avicii and Madonna (2012)

After making his Ultra debut the previous year, where he played the finished version of "Levels" for the first time, Avicii returned to the festival as the King of EDM the following year. Naturally, the King of EDM had to meet his equal, Madonna, the Queen of Pop. The pop superstar had released her pop-meets-EDM album, MDNA, that very weekend. Okay, let's not play dumb anymore. Madonna's album title references the similarly named club drug. So when Madonna asked the crowd during Avicii's set if they had "seen Molly," we all know what she meant. Unfortunately, the one question overshadowed the meeting between the two titans, with even Deadmau5 chiming in.

Justice (2012)

Over the years, Ultra has never been able to book Daft Punk to perform at the festival. (Daft Punk's sole Miami festival appearance was at the short-lived Bang Music Festival in 2006.) It did, however, another French duo several times. Justice quickly reached mainstream audiences thanks to the success of 2007's † and its follow-up, 2011's Audio, Video, Disco. So when Justice headlined the Main Stage at Ultra 2012, they were one of the biggest acts in dance music. On the stage, Justice had all the hallmarks of that era: stacks of Marshall speakers and a glowing cross. The duo's set quickly transformed the festival into a rave-meets-rock-show.

Kraftwerk and New Order (2012)

R.I.P. the old Live Stage. At the time, Ultra regularly booked acts incorporating electronic sounds and live instrumentation. In 2012, the festival delivered a one-two punch when it booked two of the most influential acts in electronic music: German pioneers Kraftwerk and British synthpop act New Order. New Order performed just before sunset, performing classics like "Bizarre Love Triangle," "The Perfect Kiss," "Temptation," and, of course, "Blue Monday." After sundown, Kraftwerk took the stage to deliver a set filled with iconic tracks like "Trans-Europe Express," "Autobahn," and "Computer Love."

Disclosure (2013)

Howard and Guy Lawrence weren't even adults when they started making music and were barely of age by the time they blew up with their debut album, 2013's Settle. The siblings made their U.S. music festival debut at Ultra months before the release of Settle. "Latch," featuring vocals from a then-unknown Sam Smith, and "White Noise" had already been burning up dance floors worldwide, so they went in with some recognition but had yet to reach their peak. It was one of those times when you genuinely witnessed the future of dance music performing before your very eyes.

Hardwell (2013)

With the EDM bubble at its peak, Hardwell was one of the era's biggest names. The Dutch producer had released tracks like "Spaceman," "Apollo," and "How We Do," all of which quickly became festival favorites across the globe. So, his set during Ultra was highly anticipated. During his set, he brought out fellow countryman Dyro for their collaboration "Never Say Goodbye," and later EDM official hypeman Lil' Jon showed up during Hardwell's mashup of Alvaro & Mercer's "Welcome to the Jungle" and Dyro's "Leprechauns & Unicorns." Meanwhile, at home, everyone was tuning into the livestream, peaking at 90,000 concurrent viewers and smashing all previous records.

Snoop Dogg (2013)

Things got dank when Snoop Dogg made his Ultra debut in 2013. The West Coast rapper didn't even try to pretend he was dipping his toes into the EDM genre, instead he was here to showcase his reggae side project, Snoop Lion. With the Live Stage packed to the gills, he performed tracks off his reggae album, Reincarnated, and delivered old favorites like his Dr. Dre collab "Nuthin But a 'G' Thang" and "Gin & Juice." It was an oddly satisfying set — emphasis on the odd.

Above & Beyond (2014)

Ultra 2014 will be remembered for the storm that delayed the festival and cut some performances short. Ravers were already mourning the forced cancelation of Avicii's headlining set, with the Swedish DJ hospitalized in Miami owing to a blocked gallbladder, so this didn't help. Above & Beyond took over the Main Stage on Saturday, hoping to make the best of the crappy situation. Unfortunately, it was still raining when they were set to start, and the water had shortcircuited their rig, forcing the trio to perform with their backup gear and backs to the crowd. That still didn't stop thousands of soaked ravers from taking in the instantly memorable set.

Eric Prydz Presents Holo (2014)

On the first day of Ultra 2014, the most anticipated set of the weekend might have been Eric Prydz, who was set to debut a new audiovisual show, Holo. With a set that mainly comprised of music he names under his name as well as the moniker Pryda, he transported festivalgoers to another world, taking full advantage of the lighting rig and LED panels on the Main Stage. In fact, Ultra 2014's Main Stage might go down as one of the best ever. In the shape of a speaker, the stage design felt like the perfect encapsulation of the festival.

Cashmere Cat and Ariana Grande (2015)

At this point, surprise appearances at Ultra had become a regular thing, but nobody as big as Madonna had appeared since 2012. While not quite at Madonna's level, Ariana Grande still stunned everyone when she popped in to sing "Adore" and "Be My Baby" during Cashmere Cat's set at the Worldwide Stage. The Norwegian producer had already started dabbling with pop productions, helping to produce Grande's 2014 album My Everything. These days, Cashmere Cat more and more seems to enjoy working behind the scenes for acts like the Kid Laroi, Lil Uzi Vert, Selena Gomez, Kali Uchis, and Halsey. It's almost like his Ultra 2015 set was a signifier of things to come.

Skrillex With Diplo, Justin Bieber — and, er, Diddy (2015)

If anyone came out of the EDM era on top, it was Skrillex. It seemed at the time that anything Sonny Moore touched turned to gold. His Ultra 2015 set seemed like a victory lap for the producer, who, in addition to becoming an era-defining artist in his own right, had also managed to conquer the pop charts with production on Justin Bieber's "Sorry." During his set, Diplo joined him on stage to kick off the Jack Ü portion of the set, starting with "Get Free/Cinema (VIP)." And while his reputation is currently in the gutter, Diddy also came on stage at one point to perform "It's All About the Benjamins" and "Bad Boy for Life." However, the big surprise was Justin Bieber, who came on stage to sing his Jack Ü collaboration "Where Are Ü Now."

Knife Party With Tom Morello (2016)

Pendulum members Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen's side project Knife Party had virtually eclipsed their original band by the mid-2010s. The Aussie duo capitalized on the drum-'n'-bass-meets-dubstep sound called drumstep mixed with the electro house, which is perfect for festival stages. In 2016, the pair helped close the festival, bringing together their current Knife Party project before morphing into a Pendulum live set. Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello joined them to play guitar on tracks like "Battle Sirens," "Bonfire," and "Tarantula," leaving everyone's mind blown in the final hours of the festival.

Resistance Arcadia Stage Debut (2016)

Looking at the festival today, it's easy to forget that Ultra's Resistance started as a single spider-shaped stage. In 2016, the Arcadia spider debuted at the festival, bringing with it a calvary of house, techno, and tech-house DJs positioned a bit more underground than the acts on the Main and Worldwide stages. Jamie Jones, John Digweed, Dubfire, Nic Fanciulli, Seth Troxler, the Martinez Brothers, Guy Gerber, Art Department, Black Coffee, Patrick Topping, and Hot Since 82 were some of the first-ever Resistance-billed artists.

Axwell & Ingrosso (2017)

Nobody likes seeing family fighting, and it seemed like Swedish House Mafia would never get back together. (That's called foreshadowing, folks.) That still didn't put a damper on festivalgoers in 2017 when two of the three Mafia members headlined. Axwell & Ingrosso closed out the second day of the festival with a set that incorporated some of their work as a duo, like "Sun Is Shining," "More Than You Know," and "Dream Bigger." They also threw everyone a bone, playing Swedish House Mafia classics "Greyhound" and "Don't You Worry Child." It was the closest anyone would get to seeing the trio back together — right?

Swedish House Mafia (2018)

Sike! Rumors swirled in the lead-up to the festival that Swedish House Mafia would be reuniting at the festival before embarking on a world tour. Those predictions turned out to be true when Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso appeared on stage on the festival's final day. Even though EDM was in decline, it felt like the biggest reunion party on the planet. The nostalgia-laden set kicked off with "Miami 2 Ibiza" before eventually delivering hits like "Antidote" and "Save the World." It all culminated with "One," leaving everyone excited that the boys were back together.

Deadmau5 Cubev3 (2019)

Most people remember Ultra 2019 for the failed relocation to Virginia Key. Between the traffic and layout that dramatically increased the travel time between certain stages, Ultra could have been an utter disaster through and through. Luckily, the festival never fails to deliver on the music front. One of the weekend's most anticipated sets would be delivered by everyone's favorite cantankerous Canadian Deadmau5. He was set to debut his Cubev3 show at the festival, so the hype was at an all-time high. Luckily, the Mau5 more than delivered. Featuring hypnotizing visuals and a cube rig, Deadmau5 played tracks like "Fall," "Imaginary Friends," "Maths," "Satrn," and "Strobe." Unfortunately, the cube malfunctioned toward the end of the set, but when it was working, it was spectacular.

Calvin Harris (2024)

After an 11-year hiatus, Scottish DJ and producer finally made his grand return to Ultra last year. As one of EDM's biggest acts, his absence was certainly felt throughout the year. Luckily, he made up for lost time when he took command of the Main Stage. Playing everything from "This Is What You Came For" to "Feel So Close" and "Miracle," Harris reminded everyone why he couldn't make a dud song that doesn't compel you to sing along. Here's hoping he doesn't take too long to come back.

Peggy Gou (2024)

While women are still underrepresented in dance music, South Korean producer Peggy Gou is part of the new wave of women producers rivaling their male counterparts. (See also: Nina Kraviz, Charlotte de Witte, Nia Archives.) While Gou was no stranger to Miami, she had never spun at its flagship dance music event until last year. It makes you wonder what took Ultra so long. She had the entire Resistance Megastructure going crazy by the time she dropped "(It Goes Like) Nanana." Perhaps one day, we'll finally see a woman headline Ultra's Main Stage.