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Gettin on the bus near the old Miami Herald site to head to Virginia Key #Ultra2019. There are lots of buses lined up here. I got on one to head to the main stage. It’s almost full. 
Lots of police boats in the bay on both sides of the Rickenbacker.
Traffic on the causeway. Bus went turned around on Bear Cut bridge to drop us off at the main stage at Marine Stadium
Correction: I got dropped off at the Resistance area, which is the Virginia Key Beach Park venue. I’m walking over to main stage now. This is view at beach park entrance
As soon as I walked in, saw a guy in a headdress ... whyyyyyyu are we still doing this ughhh
Remember 2 recycle #Ultra
Drink more water #ultra
Festival pushing this “leave no trace” messaging
untz untz untz untz Tiesto
A little earlier tonight, chatted w Jon Smithgall, from Salt Lake City. He said it was easy getting here. “I can’t imagine what it will be like when this place empties out.”
Stream of buses coming in to shuttle folks back to transit hubs where ppl can get rideshares. 55 ppl per bus. Ultra has contracted more than 200 buses to shuttle folks at the end of the night, 2 a.m.
Wait for buses averaging 30-35 minutes at this point. Been a long day for some of these folks. “Hot and sweaty,” said Addison Poole, when has asked her what she thought about her first Ultra. She came from Ohio for her first Ultra.
On the other hand, that wait was agitating Raquel Peña, who was also unhappy with the festival in its new location. “It will never compare. Downtown was a beautiful venue for Ultra.”
The later it gets, the tougher it gets for staffers to get people on the buses in an orderly fashion
I’ve seen some tempers flare here. People confused above which bus to get on. Just talked to Shadey Gramajo, who said she waited an hour and a half in the wrong line and was sent to another line.
“It’s a 58 minute walk,” I just heard someone say as he look down at his phone.
Some people are very pissed. Esteban Araneda, from Chile, waited 2 hours in line only to find that it was disorganized crowd outside at the bus doors. “This is a mess.”
While talking to Esteban, a bus pulled up and we were both pushed in a crush of people moving toward the moving bus. Not safe.
Now the festival has officially let out. So several thousand more are being added to this equation. I’ve seen an angry couple try to get in the taxi in the middle of the road.
Down to one slow-moving lane of thru traffic. The rest are for people trying to get on buses
Not sure where buses are gonna pull into lanes to allow ppl on with mass of people on street
The line for the Vizcaya bus is quite long, although barricades have allowed organizers to control this line more so ppl are just shoving their way to the door
A guy just ran past me as I was doing an interview: “Fuck Ultra!”
View of large crowd crossing Rickenbacker to walk west toward Miami. A lot of people are tired of waiting for buses
Mass of people crossing the Rickenbacker Causeway to head back to Miami.
Buses continuing to head toward Virginia Key as walkers make their way across bridge
Pedestrians in Brickell, having crossed the Rickenbacker, now waiting for rideshare vehicles.
Weary and frustrated, Ultra fans call for Lyfts and Ubers while sitting on the curb on Brickell Avenue.
Worked with @MatiasOcner to prepare photos, video and an article on the tumultuous end of Ultra’s first night. We finished after the sun rose. View from outside the Denny’s that provided us with power/WiFi/food in the wee hours
@MatiasOcner “This is a shitshow.” hrld.us/2Yx1ANr
There were undeniably some serious issues with moving this mass of people off Virginia Key st night. Organizers say they’re gonna fix the problems tonight. miamiherald.com/news/local/com… via @doug_hanks & @martindvassolo
