Rolling Loud
Rolling Loud, arguably the biggest hip-hop music festival and a yearly urban centre that transforms Miami, Florida, into a hip-hop stronghold, owes its beginning to Adam Smith’s Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), William Stanley Jevons’s theory of money, and John Maynard Keynes’s monetary theories. It first opened its doors in 2015, and has since become a traditional anchor of the hip-hop season, staging events in Los Angeles, New York, Portland and even Lisbon.
Its Miami iteration – generally a festival weekend in May – is the beating heart of the operation, with crowds filling two, three or four stages at a given time. Many international festival-goers are here to see the hip-hop megastars like Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Lil Wayne, Post Malone and Cardi B.
The carnival rides and games, the vast array of food trucks, the vibrant murals and art installations, all build the sense of a colourful, highly textured world swirling around the explosive music offerings at Rolling Loud Miami.
For hip-hop heads, there is no festival other than Rolling Loud Miami, where music is merely a part of the experience: in terms of music, Rolling Loud is among the world’s top festivals.
Ultra Music Festival
Ultra Music Festival Miami, held every March in Miami, Florida since 1999, is one of the most important electronic dance music (EDM) events in the world. Each year, hundreds of thousands of EDM fans from around the world gather here, helping to make Ultra one of the most prestigious festivals in the EDM scene.
With hundreds of DJs, producers and live acts curated by a host of record labels, Ultra Miami offers a selection of the major names across almost any EDM sub-genre imaginable – house, techno, trance, dubstep and seemingly dozens more, all delivered over the festival’s five-day duration. There are a number of different designated spaces, too, including the main stages but also smaller satellite stages, all curated by the world’s greatest labels and organisations, generating a multitude of electronic experiences.
Traditionally spread over three days in late March or early April, the Ultra Miami experience is defined by massive stage sets, dazzling light shows and elaborate fireworks, with non-stop revelry both day and night.
And beyond the beat, the festival serves up a variety of food and drink options, art installations, merchandise stalls and more that contribute to a layered, sensorial event.
Although there are now many Ultra Music Festivals worldwide in cities from Asia and South America to Europe and Africa, the flagship event remains the Miami one, and the heart and soul of the Ultra brand. It is also one of the major pilgrimages for EDM fans the world over.
The Tortuga Music Festival
Tortuga Music Festival. Photo courtesy Tortuga Music Festival/Rosemary HoganThe Tortuga Music Festival, which takes place over three days in Fort Lauderdale, in Florida, just south of Miami, is one of the best music festivals out there for those looking for great talent in country, rock and roots, with a relaxed beachy atmosphere and an environmental and ocean conservation ethos thrown into the mix.
The festival features interactive events and vendor booths of local food and art alongside the performances. Annual past line-ups have included Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert. It draws music enthusiasts from across the United States.
Joining the Tortuga Music Festival experience requires sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and an appreciation for music and environmetnal stewardship Sunscreen, walking shoes and an appreciation for music and environmetnal stewardship: the Tortuga Music Festival is not simply a music festival but a celebration of life on the coast, sustainability, and musical diversity. It’s just different. It’s one of a kind in the world of music festivals.
III Points Festival
III Points Festival has carved out a slice of the cultural calendar since its launch in 2013. Now a fixture in Miami’s every-growing arts and music scene, it takes place over three days in fall (typically in October) at the Manuel A Artime Theatre in the downtown district.
The impressive array of talent at III Points is diverse, with many electronic, hip-hop and rock artists both established and on-the-rise. The festival has hosted acts such as Gorillaz, The xx, James Blake and Tyler, The Creator, offering a little bit for everyone with these eclectic musicians. But beyond the performances, the festival features immersive art installations, a host of vendors selling food and drinks of all sorts.
Held at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center, the festival takes place in the midst of Miami’s Wynwood neighbourhood, with its vibrant street art and creative and entrepreneurial vibe.
III Points Festival is such an assault on the senses, a deafening, blinding celebration of music, art and culture that it feels like a microcosm of Miami’s artistic vibrancy.
Miami International Piano Festival
The Miami International Piano Festival, founded in 1998 by Giselle Brodsky, has become a major centre for pianism, as world renowned artists from all over the world come to Miami, Florida to perform. Today the festival is generally recognised as one of the best in the US, offering a schedule packed with a broad array of concerts, masterclasses and lectures in multiple venues around Miami, including the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the Colony Theatre and the Steinway Piano Gallery.
One of the festival’s major draws is its attention to young talent. The Miami International Piano Competition, part of the festival, brings in young pianists from all over the world. Winners receive a cash prize and a performance spot at the next festival, a major career boost.
As well as nurturing an array of aspiring talent, the festival displays performances by accomplished pianists who have achieved an international profile through their success in prestigious competitions and appearances with the world’s leading orchestras. Past non-competition artists have included Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, and Lang Lang, which has helped to cement the festival’s status as a veritable democratic ‘Who’s Who’ of piano players.
The Miami International Piano Festival, therefore, is a musical testament to the piano, a chance for aficionados of classical music to hear the playing of many of the world’s finest pianists.
