All systems go for Ultra SA

25 February 2016 - 02:46 By Leonie Wagner

Those planning on going to the Ultra SA music festival this weekend should start coughing now to add credibility to their sick notes come Monday.Ultra SA, which takes place in Johannesburg and Cape Town, is one of the largest outdoor electronic dance music festivals in the world.More than 100 local and international DJs are gearing up to perform for more than 50000 people.It's a two-day party with a camping option in Cape Town.Grammy award-winning DJ and producer Skrillex announced his arrival in the country yesterday on social media with a picture of himself holding a lion cub.Fans hoping to get a glimpse of Skrillex might be in luck tomorrow. He will be in Soweto for a workshop, alongside Black Coffee and other artists.With over 80% of the Johannesburg and Cape Town tickets sold, Ultra SA organisers are expecting this year's attendance figures to exceed last year's.Festival organiser Shaun Duvet said: "This is the only continent that does the two-day, back-to-back festival."Last year 32000 people attended in Johannesburg and 17 000 in Cape Town."This year you can expect another massive multi-million-rand production with fireworks, confetti and a light show."Some of the biggest DJs headlining the event include Afrojack, Skrillex, Tiesto, Zedd, Robin Schulz, The Martinez Brothers and South Africa's Black Coffee.Some of the other local artists include 5FM's DJ Fresh, Euphonik, Pascal & Pearce, Roger Goode and TiMO ODV.Duvet said: "Electronic dance music is massive. It's one of the biggest genres with some of the world's biggest artists."It's because dance music has so many different shades. As a culture it is an exciting one."Setting up for the Johannesburg event began yesterday, with organisers bringing in over 50 tons of ice, 20km of fencing and 500m of bars.But it will be Ultra SA's staff who need to rest ahead of the event. Last year those working at the festival walked an average 30km a day.Ultra SA will take place in Johannesburg tomorrow and Saturday at the Nasrec Expo Centre before moving to Cape Town's West Coast Ostrich Ranch on Saturday and Sunday...

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