March 21, 2020 – More than 40,000 daily visitors and a total of 120,000 from 143 countries danced for three full days last July at the Ultra Europe music festival held at Park Mladezi in Split.
Unofficially, Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the organizers are planning this year’s edition despite the global coronavirus pandemic.
The most popular electronic music festival is scheduled for July 10, 11 and 12. Still, the question arises as to how long this pandemic will last, given the fact that thousands of festival-goers from all over the world are in Split during this time.
There are innumerable questions, and there are few answers to them at the moment.
Some will agree that maintaining Ultra Europe will help the citizens of Split to at least somewhat get out of the unenviable financial situation caused by the pandemic, and although the festival itself is just four months away, in this case, they should be guided by one rule – better prevented than treated.
“At this point, it is difficult to predict how long all this will take and make any forecasts. As we can see, in China it is going down, in Italy it is booming, with us, it is just beginning.
Of course, we would all be happy to have our lives back to normal. If Ultra is still held, visitors take the risk themselves by coming,” said Željka Karin, director of the Public Health Teaching Institute of Split-Dalmatia County.
What if the virus is eradicated by July and Ultra Europe goes on, does it still pose a risk to the citizens of Split?
Slobodna Dalmacija also sent an inquiry to the City of Split, where the City said it is currently dealing with more important things, and they relate to a series of measures aimed at alleviating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic for citizens and the economy.
Earlier this month, Ultra organizers were forced to decide to cancel the festival in Abu Dhabi (March 5-6), as well as the one in Miami (March 20, 21, and 22), for the first time since the world’s craziest party started in 1999.
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All those who have already purchased tickets for the Split edition could have problems because, after the cancellation of Miami and Abu Dhabi, the decision was made not to refund the money spent, but any holder of an unused ticket will be entitled to attend Ultra in 2021 or 2022.
This has caused an uproar from festival-goers, and a series of petitions can be found on the internet seeking a refund for the tickets purchased.
Organizers have not yet posted anything on their official site, and have not even updated their status on Facebook since March 6.
The seventh edition of Ultra in Split registered its millionth guest, and because of record ticket sales, it was the most visited year since it was held in Croatia. The new space also opened up new possibilities in the form of the theatrical main stage, the largest ever set in the region, and with its production and size, exceeded all expectations so far.
On the impressive LED screen, visualizations constantly swirled, all complemented by numerous special effects. From the visual show to the perfect sound and infectious beats, everything was flawlessly executed. The world’s biggest electronic music names such as Swedish House Mafia, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Afrojack, Above & Beyond, Adam Beyer, Armin van Buuren, The Chainsmokers, Maceo Plex alternated on the stages.
As things stand now, even though the organizers are still doing everything according to plan, it is certainly possible that Ultra Europe will not go on in Split this summer.
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