III Points 2025: Under the Disco Ball and Into the Mosh Pit

Walking into III Points 2025 felt like stepping into Miami's own musical fever dream. For two nights (October 17–18), Wynwood transformed into a sprawling playground where 150+ artists took over 12 stages across five city blocks. A maze of neon-lit warehouses and open-air lots, the crowd as eclectic and colorful as Miami itself. This wasn't some cookie-cutter field fest. This was a city within a city, pulsing with Wynwood's creative heartbeat.

Stages That Stole the Show

Two stages had us absolutely obsessed: Despacio and Halo 88.

Despacio, the legendary vinyl-only discoteca co-created by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and 2manydjs, was everything. This black-walled sanctuary ran on towering custom McIntosh speaker stacks and pure analog grooves. The sound was so warm and rich it felt like your eardrums were getting hugged. Festival cofounder David Sinopoli called it "something you have to do before you die," and we're writing that down in our wills. It became the festival's beating heart, an oasis we kept drifting back to.

(Photo by Juan Hernandez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

The brand-new Halo 88 stage came out swinging and immediately claimed fan-favorite status. A glowing dome bathed in surreal light, homegrown DJs spinning futuristic beats, and a crowd moving like they'd all shared the same dream. It's rare for a stage to debut and instantly feel essential. Halo 88 pulled it off.

(Photo by Juan Hernandez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

III Points went all-in on audio tech. The new S3QU3NC3 stage featured a cutting-edge L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive sound system with 360° sound. Close your eyes and you'd swear you were floating inside the music. Add massive mirrorballs, laser grids, and glowing art installations, and every corner of Mana Wynwood dazzled.

III Points isn't Ultra. It's not one gargantuan mainstage but a dozen carefully curated spaces, each with its own vibe. That curation built around eclectic programming and both international and Miami voices? You could feel it everywhere.

A Musical Buffet

(Photo by Juan Hernandez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

This year's lineup was an absolute feast. Friday kicked off with Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso at Mind Melt, then Sean Paul unleashed unforgettable Jamaican energy at Sector 3. Hundreds singing "Get Busy" and "Temperature" under the Miami sky. I will say that putting such big artists in this cramped stage didn't feel like the best choice and made us miss the big stage inside Mana that Despacio replaced.

Thundercat brought his virtuoso bass skills and funk-infused grooves to III Points, delivering a set that moved fluidly from jazz-funk instrumentals to soulful crooning. The audience was grooving hard, but the moment that really hit was when the bassist paid tribute to R&B legend D'Angelo, who had passed away just days before the festival. Thundercat played D'Angelo's songs "Lady" and "Brown Sugar," transitioning seamlessly into his own hit "Them Changes," before shouting "Rest in peace, D'Angelo!" The crowd responded by throwing up lighters and phone lights, turning what could have been just another festival set into something genuinely moving. Hearing the late D'Angelo's music echo through a Miami festival was an emotional moment that nobody saw coming, and it showed Thundercat's ability to balance technical mastery with real heart.

(Photo by Juan Hernandez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

On Saturday, Turnstile delivered the set of the weekend. Pure punk fury turned joyful explosion. We dove into an all-out mosh where strangers became instant friends, picking each other up just to jump back in. When the camera man turned to a phone that read "Free Palestine", the crowd's unified response was goosebump-inducing. A hardcore show turned communal catharsis for the III Points history books.

On the electronic side, Dom Dolla transformed Mind Melt into a colossal open-air club Saturday night. Thousands dancing as one to every infectious drop, taking us all the way to the 4 AM curfew. Our faces hurt from smiling.

Throughout, III Points shattered genre boundaries. Tinashe's sultry R&B, Thundercat's guitar solos, Bicep's face-melting electronica. Miami's Denzel Curry brought 305 heat, while local DJs Danny Daze and Nick León proved why this city's underground is second to none. Where else can you see Puerto Rican drag-rap superstar Villano Antillano followed by UK drum & bass legend Roni Size, with a live orchestra (Mita Gami) sandwiched between techno sets?

Peak Miami Weirdness

The wild, only-in-Miami moments made 2025 truly unforgettable. French techno rebel I Hate Models opened his set by blasting "Who Let the Dogs Out" at full volume. The crowd went from "wait, is he seriously...?" to complete frenzy, barking along. Only at III Points does a hard techno artist troll us with a kitschy 2000s jam and turn it into a rave moment.

Love Island alum spent the weekend incognito in a giant Mushi the Mushroom costume. Real or not, we side-eyed every oversized mushroom with a grin.

The food slapped. A Cuban burger at midnight was straight fire, one of the best festival bites ever. And the Ketel One lounge's espresso martinis? **Chefs kiss**

The Community Vibe

(Photos by Juan Hernandez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

The sense of community III Points cultivates is beautiful. This is Miami's festival, and hometown pride was everywhere. The crowd mixed ages, languages, and styles. Ravers in neon fishnets dancing with skateboard kids, art-world hipsters grooving with old-school locals. Everyone was welcome.

(Photos by Rolando Jimenez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

Sure, there was chaos. Social media blew up about dust clouds at the Isotropic stage by Day 2. Our bandanas came in handy. A few audio hiccups here and there, but nothing that dampened the mood. As long as the bass was bumping (and it was), the crowd was content.

Festival Grounds: The Good, The Great, and The Exits

Beyond the music and stages, the festival grounds themselves had some serious upgrades and a few quirks worth mentioning.

Water was abundant this year, thank the rave gods. Filling stations were scattered around the grounds, and bottled water was sold for a reasonable $5. This was a much-needed change considering many of us still have PTSD every time we see Liquid Death anywhere.

One bizarre frustration? Despite having multiple emergency exits throughout the five-block sprawl, staff forced everyone to walk through the main festival exits when leaving. Even if you were standing right next to an emergency exit ready to call it a night, you had to trek back through the crowds to leave the "proper" way. A minor annoyance in the grand scheme, but definitely a head-scratcher when your feet are screaming and there's a perfectly good exit ten feet away.

The food choices were fantastic this year. Festival favorite Spicy Pie being at III Points is always a win. The Cuban burger we devoured on Saturday night by Mind Melt was absolutely delicious and brought us back to life for the rest of the night. Sometimes all you need is a perfectly greasy, flavorful burger at 1 AM to keep the party going.

(Photo by Rolando Jimenez for PeoplePlacesThingsMiami)

The Garnier activation was surprisingly cool. It featured little stations where people could add glitter to their looks, plus glittered star hair clips that everyone was rocking throughout the weekend. The activation also had a glambot for super cool Garnier-branded photo ops. We loved this activation because it made people's already cute fits look even more festival-ready without forcing you to wear a company's name plastered across your chest like most branded merch does. Subtle, fun, and actually useful.

Tucked behind RC20, the Vendor Village was a hidden gem packed with vintage vendors, a kandi station, and other cool finds. It was a nice escape because most people didn't really walk through there, giving it this chill, low-key vibe. That said, we couldn't help but feel bad for the vendors who obviously paid to be there. It didn't feel like there was much emphasis on directing foot traffic their way, and these local businesses deserved more love.

Over in the White Room, Skate Space: "Eyes Wiiide Shut" turned heads all weekend. Basically a mini skating rink with illuminated structures, it let attendees literally skate through an art installation between sets. Not every festival lets you grab skates and cruise around while techno thumps in the background, and it became one of those "only at III Points" moments people kept talking about.

Meanwhile, multimedia artist Mokibaby brought serious creative energy with "You're a Star," a film studio-themed environment that felt like walking onto a surreal movie set. Complete with stage lights and vintage cameras, it let attendees live out a cinematic fantasy between performances. Mokibaby has been working with the festival for years and always outdoes herself. She's so ahead of her time and innovative that every time she creates something at III Points, you see every other festival and venue try to copy it after. We stan Mokibaby. These kinds of imaginative spaces remind you that III Points is a full artistic playground where Wynwood's creative spirit gets to show off.

Until Next Year

By the end of night two, looking around at thousands of blissful, exhausted faces, we felt nothing but Miami love. III Points 2025 proved why this festival is a beloved hometown ritual. Our weird and wonderful celebration of music, art, and community. Where underground techno and hardcore punk share a home, where a disco ball can be as iconic as any headliner. It's crowded, chaotic, humid, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

As we floated out (ears ringing, shoes dusty, hearts full), one thought lingered: we can't wait to do this again. We're already counting down to 2026.

Miami showed up and showed out, and the love was felt in every beat. Until next year, save us a spot under that disco ball. We'll bring the earplugs and the cafecito, you bring the magic. ¡Nos vemos en la pista de baile!