With the long balmy Ibizan summer drawing to an end, clubs across the Balearic island start revving up for their close-of-season blowout. As the tourist tide recedes, a mix of Ibiza veterans and dedicated revellers swoop in to join up-for-it locals for the season finale. And as you’d expect from the clubbing capital of the world, Ibiza likes to go out on a high, arms aloft and in a shower of confetti.
DEFECTED, EDEN
Friday 29 September
The world’s top-selling house label (Defected) plus one of the island’s best-loved superclubs (Eden) equals one of the most banging closing parties on the White Isle where the venue’s distinctive golden domes form part of the skyline of seaside party-zone San Antonio.
Topping the bill for closing are Eden regulars Low Steppa and Hannah Wants, who’ll be adhering to the night’s 100 per cent pure house policy. An everyone-is-welcome ethos means it’s one of the more affordable closers, though reserving a VIP table will still run to four figures.
Where to stay You’ll find the soul-soothing mix of knotty woods, palm-frond frill and golden rattan of Oku Ibiza just a quick taxi hop around San Antonio bay. The mood is a just-right balance of chill and buzz, with a resident DJ setting the mood for poolside brunching through to pre-club tipples.
With its private bar, back-to-mine terrace, and three-room layout, Oku’s Signature Suite is big enough for an after party, or better yet is the the private villa where up to eight can crash. For post-rave recovery seek out the hotel’s fresh-pressed juice bar before a float in the 50-metre pool – the largest on the island, no less.
Carrer Salvador Espriu, 07820, Sant Antoni de Portmany. [email protected]
ROBIN SCHULZ, PACHA
Thursday 5 October
Few images are more synonymous with Ibiza clubbing than the dangling red cherries of Pacha. And topping a summer-long residency at the iconic club, Grammy-gonged DJ Robin Schulz will be at the helm for their season closer. The German DJ/producer’s blend of house, electro and pop is dancefloor catnip and the in-house production promises to be as lavish as ever.
What’s more, this year sees the 50th anniversary since an old Ibizan farmhouse first opened its doors as Pacha, so there’s even more reason to party.
Where to stay Another illustrious name, but far more recent arrival to the White Island, is the Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay. The group might be better known for their miso-glaze, but their Balearic hoteling outpost has been causing quite a stir since opening in 2017.
And new for 2023, the ‘Rooftop by Ibiza Bay’ provides the perfect spot for watching the sun dip into the Med while gearing up for a night throwing shapes. Thanks to their privileged position overlooking Talamanca Bay, they can add the label of ‘beachfront beauty’ to ‘laid-back luxury’, as well as sitting a mere strolling distance from Pacha.
Avenida 8 de Agosto, 07800 Ibiza. [email protected], +34 971 31 36 12
VORTEX, HÏ IBIZA
Saturday 7 October
The world’s number one club (according to a DJ Mag readers’ poll), Hï Ibiza is co-hosting The Vortex closing party. It promises to be one of the biggest blowouts of the season and is a day-to-night double-header with club-slash-hotel giant Ushuaïa across the road.
Rising superstar DJ Peggy Gou is heading a line-up of more than a dozen of the world’s top EDM talent, who’ll be flipping between the two venues. Expect a speaker-shaking mix of house and techno filling throbbing dance floors until sunrise.
Where to stay If you can’t wangle a room at Ushuaïa (and rates skyrocket for the closing party) we can recommend the far more mellow setting of Sir Joan in Ibiza Town. This chic 38-room boutique hotel offers a wonderfully serene and, yes, grown-up set-up in which to nurse yourself back after a night of excessive beat-down. Treat yourself to one of its penthouse rooms and you get the balm of breezy 360-degree views spanning across the nearby marina and neighbouring old town.
Platja d’en Bossa, 07817 Sant Josep de sa Talaia, Ibiza. [email protected]
CIRCOLOCO, DC-10
Monday 9 October
The word ‘legendary’ is thrown about rather liberally around the Ibiza clubbing scene, but if anywhere deserves it, it’s DC-10. From its humble beginnings as a nineties music bar, it grew into what has since been dubbed Ibiza’s Studio 54.
The airport-adjacent club (from which it got its name) continues to host some of the island’s top parties in the form of Monday night’s Circoloco. Expect an in-the-know crowd plus cutting-edge underground talent sharing decks with world-famous DJs.
Where to stay Enveloped in 30 acres of neatly landscaped, pine-nestled gardens dotted with olive trees, plump cacti and fruiting orchards, Pure House Ibiza offers a sumptuous slice of nature perfect for post-pure-house restoration.
The revamped 19th-century finca has just a handful of rooms, adding to the secluded intimacy of it all. And after sharing a deafening dancefloor with hundreds of sweaty revellers, some poolside lounging with little but chirruping of local bird life to break the peace will be bliss indeed.
Calle Las Salinas Km 1, Sant Josep de Sa Talaia. [email protected], +34 971 932 013
AMNESIA CLOSING PARTY
Saturday 14 October
Now approaching its half-century, Amnesia can claim its place among a small cabal of Ibiza’s original superclubs. The ‘marathon’ closing party promises to be an aptly grand occasion for this island institution. Top names will be pumping out techno and tech-house in the hanger-like main room, with the terrace offering a shift in mood and famed sunrise session. So make sure you don’t run out of steam too early – the final hours are when the magic really happens.
Where to stay From emerging bleary-eyed from Amnesia, it’s a mere 10-minute taxi tootle and you can be back in Ibiza Town in the oh-so-fabulous confines of the Standard. The Ibizan iteration of this party-friendly mini-chain quickly – you might say inevitably – established itself as the coolest kid on the block.
The hotel’s panoramic rooftop is where you’ll find the best bits, featuring a paisley-parasoled Mexican eatery, a sleek 15-metre pool and open-til-late bar where you can sip cocktails while gazing out over super-scenic Dalt Vila.
Ctra. Ibiza a San Antonio, Km 5, 07816 Ibiza, Balearic Islands. [email protected], +34 618 48 50 63
SHEIN, O BEACH
Sunday 15 October
Hosting over 160 daytime parties this season, O Beach has to be up there with the hardest-working clubs on the island. For their closing fiesta, they’re planning an amalgam of some of their best – and most lavish shows – from over the summer months. Kicking off at midday and lasting until sunset, this will mean a riot of colourful costumes, non-stop feel-good-dance DJs, and poolside shenanigans like nowhere else on the island.
Where to stay Pitched somewhere between a pine-scented seafront pueblo and seriously swanky urbanisation, 7Pines is a cinco-estrella resort sprawled across its own stretch of cliff-top coastline. It’s an easy drive from O Beach’s home in San An (as it’s dubbed by locals) and when you get back here, you’ll find little reason to leave.
A huge sea-view spa offers a sea-view detox, or if you’d rather eat and drink yourself better, there’s a slew of restaurants and bars to pick from. If you’re bringing the party back with you, the hotel’s Cliff Suites are suitably sequestered away from the rest of the guests.
Carrer des Molí, 12-14, 07820 Ibiza. [email protected], +34 971 803 260
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