Now that Ultra Europe has come to an end at Poljud and is off to the islands over the next 3 days, here are some thoughts and observations on how the electronic music extravaganza went on this year.
We’ll start off with the one negative but one thing is for certain, next year = more trash bins! Perhaps the only bad thing I can say about Ultra was the amount of trash left all over the venue and on the streets. I myself found it difficult to even locate a trash bin inside the venue, and am hard pressed to remember if I even saw one at all. Extra trash bins would be a massive saviour for next year. I do believe if people see the trash bins, they are inclined to throw trash away in them. This would also serve well throughout the streets of Split during this weekend!
The amount of undercover cops was surprising and comforting. Within my first few minutes into the festival I saw a situation where an undercover cop came out of disguise to do his job. I recall seeing this a few more times throughout the Saturday night at the festival. They were alert, on their game, doing their job, and there were plenty of them.
The medical staff was truly brilliant. For those in need of water they did not hesitate or make you wait in the massive bar line to pay 50kn to get one. They tried to lighten up the mood for friends bringing in their ill ones to the tent, smiles on and everything. Most importantly they made festival goers feel comfortable asking for help if they needed it, and I really believe this aided in the good status of health overall throughout the weekend.
Security had another standout performance over the weekend. Spread along the fences, the stages, in the crowds, and nearly everywhere else – the security was never more than 30 seconds away from you. I recall one instance at a smaller outside stage that had flames blasting out of the top – security warned anyone that got too close, making sure no one ever did get too close for hours on end. Everyone respected, listened, and moved along.
Overall, Ultra was an incredibly well organized event. From the box office through security and into the lion’s den of the festival, everyone did their job, everyone was quick to react, and everyone really looked like they were having a truly great time.
With next year’s Ultra Europe already in high anticipation, we can say that we really can’t wait either!
