Ultra 2026 Day One Delivers Highs, Surprises, and a Few Misses

Under the slogan “Only legends, superstars, and talent,” Ultra Music Festival took over Miami once again — and Day 1 definitely lived up to it. The first night of the three-day festival brought a mix of epic b2bs, spiritual moments, and plenty of high-energy sets that kept the crowd locked in from start to finish.

Some performances caught us off guard in the best way, while others didn’t quite hit. From Bizzarrap to Sara Landry and Aoki, here are our thoughts on the highlights from Day 1 of Ultra Music Festival 2026.

Armin van Buuren b2b Marlon Hoffstadt

If Armin van Buuren’s name is synonymous with trance, then his second most notable trait is sharing the decks with any DJ. Over the last few Ultra editions, van Buuren has played back-to-back with Reinier Zonneveld, Maddix, Oliver Heldens, and Adam Beyer. Germany’s Marlon Hoffstadt joined van Buuren this year for the annual A State of Trance stage takeover at the Worldwide stage. It began with a hard-techno beast of a track, “Stomp Your Feet” by Hannah Laing, Marlon Hoffstadt, and Caroline Roxy. It’s pounding bass, anthem-styled surges, a vocal work telling you to literally stomp your feet and shake your body, that set the tone. Throughout, the two produced a tango between lost-in-the-moment euphoria that van Buuren had patented so many years ago and the harder techno bites that had feet stomping concrete. The two worked in tandem, pumping the BPM and bass to an amalgamation where fast-paced trance and techno collided. But just when it got too heavy, van Buuren commanded his stage with the soft sways of delicate vocals or tender violin strings against a rich blue light underneath the crowd. By Grant Albert. 

Eric Prydz 

The lights behind Sweden’s Eric Prydz formed a halo as the DJ extraordinaire rang out the first notes. The angelic opener was only canon fodder; however, Prydz amped up the music and visuals to seismic levels. Peak Prydz includes introducing dark, tunneling, futuristic melodies with bass that travels down the vertebrae. He’s quick to use vocals to further drive the feeling of an authentic rave with tried-and-true stables like Cevin Fisher’s “The Way We Used To” (“Yo’, party people, we gotta keep this thing going”), to the Chemical Brother’s “Hey Boy Hey Girl” (“Hey girls, B-boys. Superstar DJs, here we go!), and, for good measure Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” It’s introspective and driving, in sync with his outerworldly visual productions. Every pixel, light, and laser maxed out between avatars coming out of the screen, a cyborg’s hand extending a welcome, or pixelated eyes forming into the cosmos. But Prydz can also ease the acceleration, such as a mix between his techno anthem, “On/Off” (produced by his alias, Cirez D), with Green Velvet’s “Lazer Beams,” where once Green Velvet commands “Hit with me those laser beams,” there is only a gusher of radioactive green lasers darting out of the Megastructure. By Grant Albert.  

The Bloody Beetroots 

It’s been thirteen years since the Bloody Beetroots — AKA “Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo” — planted his feet at Bayfront Park. A decade-plus hiatus would surely give the Bloody Beetroots an opportunity to test new music and adapt their sound to today’s times. Right? Oh, no. The set promised fans a “Throwback Electro Set” at the Radio Stage, which served as a label takeover celebrating the 30-year milestone of Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label. Cloaking his signature venom mask, he made up for lost time with “Escape,” the Bloody Beetroots Remix (2007), where the sharp synth stabs carried you to a pre-algorithm dance mania. To be sure, that nostalgia continued to reach unbelievable levels with quick transitions to “D.A.N.C.E.” (MSTRKRFT Remix) (2007), featuring more distorted synth work and Justice’s vocals from their opus, turning March 2026 into late 2000s, now-that’s-what-I-call-music electronica.

The crowd, likely older than some other attendees, stomped, head-banged, jumped, and swayed as the sole DJ spun on the decks and danced between transitions. The track work included a quick mix of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” (2001) to Aoki’s remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite” (2008). It seemed almost mocking how one person could throw so many hits within a forty-minute timeslot without losing the essence of why we are all here. Towards the end, Aioki took to the mic in honor of his friend, “Eighteen years ago, Dim Mak signed the Bloody Beetroots. It became the foundation of our label’s electronic music. We would not be where we are today without the Bloody Beatroots.”  Who’s to say when a golden era began, ended, or ever existed? It was, however, one man on stage to say that it likely began eighteen years ago. By Grant Albert. 

Steve Aoki 

Being one of Ultra Music Festival’s longtime veterans — and a staple of the electronic music scene as a whole — Steve Aoki is celebrating his enduring dominance with a massive moment this year. Not only did he appear at Ultra twice, but he also had a show during Miami Music Week. That didn’t stop us from stopping by his set and reliving the nostalgia that made so many of us fans in the first place.

Whether it’s his remixes of Kid Cudi’s “Memories” and “Pursuit of Happiness,” or original tracks like “Delirious,” we’ve grown to love Aoki for his energy and his signature connection with the crowd. This year’s rendition of his set was truly something to behold. It was a great, high-energy time, and it’s clear he hasn’t lost his touch over the past few decades, still standing as one of the strongest acts on his own label. By Osvaldo Espino. 

Bizarrap 

There were high expectations for Bizarrap. We didn’t fully know what direction he would take. We had some idea based on his Lollapalooza sets in Chile and Argentina, but nothing was guaranteed. He could have easily stuck to a straightforward run of his biggest productions, as he did in 2024 at Vibra Urbana.

Instead, he surprised us. This year, he delivered remixes of his tracks that spanned trap, drum & bass, and even touches of dubstep. That versatility likely comes from his connection with his friend and mentor, Skrillex, who made a surprise appearance about 35 minutes into the set.

Skrillex quickly took over, bringing his unmatched stage presence and energy. It turned into what was arguably one of the best surprise appearances of the weekend. Even after recently dropping a new track with Yamiko, that still wasn’t the highlight. He went on to play his iconic remix of “Cinema”, a fan favorite and a defining track in his discography, creating a moment that will likely go down in Ultra history. By Osvaldo Espino. 

Martin Garrix b2b Alesso

Following that was the back-to-back set from Martin Garrix and Alesso. Expectations were understandably high. These aren’t just Ultra heavyweights; they’re giants in electronic music, with billions of streams between them.

And while the set wasn’t bad, it didn’t quite meet those expectations. If you love sing-along, euphoric tracks like “In the Name of Love,” then it was probably a great time. But for those looking for something more experimental or boundary-pushing, it felt like a missed opportunity. Instead of evolving the format, it leaned more toward a greatest-hits showcase. Again, not bad, but it left us wanting more. Maybe our expectations were too high, but with names like Garrix and Alesso, it’s hard not to imagine something bigger.  By Osvaldo Espino. 

Sara Landry

What we didn’t overhype, though, was Sara Landry’s closing set at The Cove.

Sara Landry has quickly established herself as the queen of hard techno, bringing a signature blend of gothic aesthetics and almost spiritual intensity to her performances. And she absolutely delivered at Ultra.

When we arrived, she was playing “Pray With Me” off her Spiritual Driveby album, already commanding the stage with relentless energy. The set was packed with dark, pounding techno and what can only be described as gothic bangers.

There was an undeniable aura surrounding her performance. It started strong, dipped slightly in the middle, but surged back to life toward the end with a powerful, almost transcendent energy. The way she performs is completely immersed, almost possessed by the music, and is something you have to witness in person.

If you saw Sara Landry live, you understand exactly what that felt like. By Osvaldo Espino.