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Ultra Music Festival is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its multi-award-winning sustainability program, Mission: Home, while solidifying its role as a global leader in environmentally and socially responsible live events.
In 2025, Ultra became the first U.S. festival of its scale in more than a decade to earn A Greener Future’s prestigious “Greener Festival” certification, one of the industry’s most rigorous international sustainability standards. The festival was also named to IQ Magazine’s 2025 Green Guardians list, placing it among just 20 global sustainability leaders alongside Coldplay and Massive Attack. Additional honors include multiple Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA) SUNsational Awards and recognition at the World Sustainability Awards.
Since launching in 2019, Mission: Home has educated 8.2 million people worldwide, diverted nearly 400,000 pounds of waste from landfills, and donated more than 84,000 pounds of food, beverages, and supplies back to the community. Waste diversion efforts—led by national partner Clean Vibes—have achieved a 45% diversion rate over five years while expanding recycling, composting, donation, and material recovery programs.
“Each year, we see this message come to life in lights on our stages in front of 55,000 attendees and millions watching online,” said Vivian Belzaguy Hunter, Director of Sustainability for Ultra Music Festival. “While its importance is obvious, the fact that it exists at all speaks volumes, as the power of Ultra’s platform sets an example not only for the music festival industry, but for audiences across the globe.”
Ultra’s community impact extends well beyond the festival gates. Through its long-standing partnership with The Caring Place, Ultra’s food rescue program has helped provide thousands of meals to South Florida residents experiencing food insecurity. The festival also hosts an annual shoreline cleanup that has removed more than 3,300 pounds of marine debris from Bayfront Park and surrounding waterways.
New in its 25th anniversary year, Ultra Music Festival launched “Bayfront Bark,” a pet adoption event in partnership with Miami-Dade County Animal Services, helping local animals find permanent homes. The festival also introduced a new fan-driven fundraising initiative with Fandiem, allowing fans to support Lotus House, the nation’s largest women’s shelter. In return for donations benefiting children and families in need, fans are entered to win an exclusive Ultra Music Festival experience, including travel, tickets, and behind-the-scenes access.
Ultra’s sustainability leadership has drawn attention across the music industry. In a recent feature, Billboard wrote, “Clearly, Mission: Home is doing something worth replicating, and something that can be achieved by any given event identifying its sustainability goals and putting a team and resources behind them.”
As Mission: Home looks toward 2026, Ultra Music Festival continues to demonstrate how large-scale events can serve as powerful platforms for education, environmental progress, and community connection—proving that entertainment and positive impact can go hand in hand.
