Ibiza Closing Parties

The end-of-season parties in Ibiza are legendary. Where else can you dance under the stars to the world’s best DJs, wander through clubs where palm trees grow out of the dancefloor, enjoy table service in the most exclusive of VIP areas and rub shoulders with Kate Moss or Jade Jagger? The whole summer can be amazing – hedonism is the norm – but mid-September sees the season end with an almighty bang. Fellow partygoers could include P Diddy, Elle Macpherson, Matthew Williamson, Noel Gallagher or Paris Hilton, all of whom are regulars. The Ibiza classics are still going strong: Cream and Sven Väth’s Cocoon at Amnesia, Darren Emerson’s Underwater and Erick Morillo’s Subliminal at Pacha. And, with luck, you might get an ‘all back to mine’ villa-party invite, too.

Highlights

The last Sunday of the season at Space is probably the night-time cream of the crop here: there’s a fabulous open-air terrace and the closing party runs for a mind-bending 22 hours. Ibiza Rocks, Manumission’s live-band extravaganza, provides an antidote to all those vinyltastic dance-anthem shindigs, with appearances from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian and the View. On a smaller scale, Club Underground, on the San An-to-Ibiza Town drag, is worth earmarking for Mr C’s electrifying, electro-fuelled Superfreq.

In The Know

Head Count

At Privilege, as many as 10,000 people pass through the doors in a single night. Add another 30,000 or so across the rest of the Ibiza at any one point and – remembering that the population is only about 100,000 – you’ve got yourself one exceptional

Meeting Point

Base Bar on the Calle Garijo in the port area of Ibiza Town is a good spot to congregate with the pre-club coolhunters for warm-up drinks – and you can buy tickets there, too.

Best View

Watch the late summer sun set at the glorious Benirras beach, to the sound of a band of funky bongo players, and then stay up all night to see it rise again from the outdoor terrace at Pacha.

Packing Tips

You can wear anything here, so if you’re not sure whether to take those leather hotpants, hey, chuck ’em in.

Escape

To fully flee the madding crowd, head to Ibiza’s quieter neighbour, the island of Formentera. Our top tip is to charter a speedboat or yacht through Danyboats (+34 (0)600 413069; www.danyboats.com).

Dos and don'ts

• Get some sleep at some point. You really should try it – and not in the midday sun, eh?
• Rock up to the Flower Power sessions at Pacha on a Sunday, where Led Zep can be playing happily alongside the latest house cut. An older crowd, many of them Ibiza residents, makes the vibe here about as close to the original Balearic spirit as it’s possible to get.
• Don’t take a camera into Space. Staff will confiscate it and not give it back until you leave – and you’re bound to forget it.
• Find ‘the funky room’ at Pacha. It’s intimate, friendly, and hidden up some back stairs away from the superclub sprawl.

Need To Know

Children

This is a great destination for kids, with water parks, safe beaches and the famously tolerant Spanish attitude to children. If you need one, Deliciously Sorted (www. deliciouslysortedibiza.com) can arrange a nanny or babysitter.

Parking

Most of the big clubs have ample parking space and some, such as Amnesia, even have attendants to guide you in. Ibiza is small and very driveable, but don’t even think about drinking and driving here. There are grisly accidents every year on the badly-lit roads, and the police are ruthless enforcers of the drink-driving laws.

Disability Access

Not great. Many of the clubs have stairs, and others claim the old ‘fire hazard’ excuse to refuse wheelchairs.

Food & Drink

El Bigote, the fisherman-run eaterie by a private lagoon at Mastella beach offers the freshest catch and soul-stirring views. There’s no phone, so book in person or turn up and take your chances – it’s usually only open during the day. L’Elephant on Plaza Iglesia in San Rafael (+34 971 198 056) has proper French cuisine and a super-cool crowd. Its rooftop bar is a favourite sundowner spot with the air-kissy set.

Sleep

Ibiza has some spectacular hideaways tucked into its leafy hills. Can Curreu, in the centre of the island, is a sprawling place with great food and lovely staff. Go to www.mrandmrssmith.com or ring 0845 034 0701 for details of this and other hotels on the island, and to reserve rooms.

VIP

Deliciously Sorted (www.deliciouslysortedibiza.com) can get you into the VIP room of many a club on the island – for a price. That price usually involves hiring a table, with the minimum spend being about €100 a head (which will get you a half bottle or so of spirits each and some mixers). Limos, helicopter rides, boat trips and more are all within easy grasp, too.

More Details

www.ibizarocks.com; www.ibiza-spotlight.com

Ibiza Closing Parties Map