The Winter Music Conference is back in Downtown Miami for a three-day stint at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel, running Tuesday through Thursday, with the 2026 edition mixing industry panels, keynote conversations, and daytime rooftop showcases that double as pool parties.
Keynotes and panels to watch
Armin van Buuren anchors a midday keynote conversation, sitting down with Apple Music’s Stephen Campbell and Tim Sweeney to dig into DJ mixes, algorithms, and whether human curation still has the upper hand. The WMC roster lists that session and dozens of other panels spread across two tracks geared toward industry professionals and creators, according to the WMC speakers page.
Panels and programming highlights
The schedule swings from artist-led breakdowns to tech-centric deep dives. Sasha, Dubfire, Alison Wonderland, and Danny Daze are set to unpack how DJs build a set, while Laidback Luke and Joachim Garraud will dig into immersive audio and the future of performance. Sara Landry is slated to join Beatport for a conversation about techno’s global rise, as reported by Miami New Times.
Beatport rooftop showcases and pool parties
Up on the EPIC rooftop, a three-day Beatport Live run will showcase labels Mood Child, Rekids with a 20-year celebration, and Hot Creations x Three Six Zero Recordings, pairing veteran DJs with rising artists on the pool deck, according to a WMC announcement. That rollout and local listings show DJs including Danny Tenaglia, Radio Slave b2b DJ Minx, DJ Sneak, and Skream in the mix, as confirmed by Resident Advisor.
The parties are daytime affairs with a waterfront backdrop. Organizers say pool access is included with certain badge tiers, while a limited number of individual tickets is being distributed through partners.
Tickets, badges and who gets in
WMC offers Access, Pro, and Social badges, with Pro-level credentials covering the pool parties and extra networking perks, and badges plus individual event tickets all funneled through ticket partners. Miami New Times reports that overall WMC badges start at $295 via those platforms, and that a range of pool-party wristbands and single-event tickets is available through outlets like DICE and similar services.
Expect capacity limits and ID checks at the rooftop, with pool access generally restricted to attendees 21 and over during the daytime showcases.
What’s new this year
Organizers are pushing discovery and tech a bit harder this round. WMC has added an A&R Pop-Up Lounge where artists can hand off demos directly to label representatives, and the program now features spatial-audio demos powered by the L-Acoustics DJ system. The move to the Kimpton EPIC and the added A&R and tech activations were highlighted by L-Acoustics.
Whether you are there to pitch a track or catch midday sets in the sun, this year’s WMC is built to blur the line between trade show and party. The conference sits inside the wider Miami Music Week and Ultra ecosystem, and WMC’s 2018 acquisition by ULTRA Worldwide helps explain the dual focus on industry programming and high-profile daytime events, per Pollstar.
