The 8 Wonders of the Ibiza Club World

The vast majority of tourists who arrive on the White Isle every year are looking for a good time.  For the most, that means music, dancing, clubs and everything that goes with it.  For anyone who enjoys the club scene then Ibiza is Mecca, and they are on a pilgrimage.

Ibiza is (in the grand scheme of things) a tiny island yet it is home to a staggering eight superclubs.  Oh and did I mention one of them is the biggest club in the world?  As well as these there are hundreds of small clubs and then thousands of bars.

Privilege  is officially the biggest club in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records and holds a phenomenal 10,000 people.  Inside it is like a small town and you will never see the whole place in just one visit.  The main room has a 25 metre high roof with a swimming pool  above which is where the DJ is suspended from.  When you go into the club and down the main staircase expect to feel like Alice having been cast down the rabbit hole… and also plan to get lost. 

Open Monday to Saturday it plays host to some of the biggest parties on the island. 

Monday night introduces arguably one of the biggest DJ’s in the world, Tiёsto.  Tuesday - My Clubroom

Wednesday  - Warung is the latest addition all the way from the Brazilian club of the same name.

Thursday - The Face of Ibiza features La Troya DJ’s Baby Marcelo & DJ Oliver

Fridays at Privilege are home to the world famous Supermartxé where they bring a fusion of electronic and house together with stunning shows, beautiful dancers and usually some shocks along the way.

Saturday – The Saturday Night Project comes from the creators of the Zoo Project and promotes international as well as local Ibicenco DJ’s.

Ticket prices 20-50€

Vodka mixer – 12€+  Beer – 10€+

http://www.privilegeibiza.com/

Amnesia  has been open since the seventies but nowadays it has become famous for young people from the film “Kevin and Perry Go Large.”  The club was once open air but the changing licensing laws have since prevented this.  However , daylight streams in through the roof after sunrise bringing the party to a close.  Amnesia is open seven days a week throughout the summer and rivals Privilege in terms of individual nights. 

Mondays - Cocoon Party Animals with Sven Vath and Loco Dice

Tuesdays - Release Yourself with international DJ Roger Sanchez

Wednesdays and Sunday - Espuma (The One and Only Foam Party) and La Troya taking advantage of the size of the two main rooms

Thurday - Cream with Paul van Dyke, Deadmaus and Michael Woods probably Amnesias biggest night. 

Friday - People From Ibiza

Saturday is Matinee’s La Leche. 

Ticket prices 20 -55€

Vodka mixer - 12€ +    Beer – 10€+ (I paid 12€ for a Budweiser, be aware that the bars higher up are more expensive!)

Pacha is known as the club for the beautiful people. What I think they mean is “rich” people. It is easily the most expensive club for entry tickets and if you don’t buy a ticket beforehand you can expect to pay up to 20€ more on the door. Pacha is loved by the locals because it is the only club open all year round, this means that for most workers on the island it is the only real chance they get to go to one of the superclubs. Pacha is more than a club, it is a brand, with 20 franchises dotted throughout the globe the music it produces is almost as famous as the cherries that promote it.

Monday - The Swedish House Mafia and Masquerade Motel which perhaps is best described here……  http://swedishhousemafia.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/masquerade-motel-mondays-at-pacha-ibiza/

Tuesday – Seduction brings back the soulful vibes of David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Hector Romero and Louis Vega not forgetting resident DJ Sebastian Gamboa

Wednesday presents Erick Morillo with Voodoo Nights at Subliminal Sessions, Thursday - David Guetta’s F**k Me I´m Famous with its sexy French house beats. Thursday is the night is by far the most popular and only the crème de la crème of the celebrity world get on any sort of guest list, even the Ibiza glitterati have to get in line for this one.

Friday hosts the imaginatively named Pure Pacha

Saturday - Defected in the House which as they say “celebrates the year that house music was reborn.”

Sunday – Luciano brings his Cadenza to Pacha this year.

The great thing about Pacha is that there really isn’t a bad night. Some are more commercial or better known but during the summer months they will all be fully booked. Don’t forget if you really want to go all out you can book a table at the Pacha restaurant, The Sushi Lounge. It is a beautiful white haven wrapped in a warm pink glow, it is pricey but then what more would you expect. Free entrance into the club isn’t a right with a meal but a gift. If you spend in the region of 65€ per person this gift will “usually” be offered. Probably worth being super nice to your waiter as this is a real steal of a way to get in!

Ticket prices 40 -60€

Drinks upwards of 12€

Space,located in Playa d’en Bossa right next to the islands largest waterpark, the Aguamar, is the last reminder of the all day Ibiza parties of old.  Originally Space opened at 8am and was filled with hardcore party goers who just couldn’t or wouldn’t slow down and go to bed.  As is inevitable in a place where real people live all year round, locals got tired of the noise.  Just as Amnesia and Privilege had to close in their originally open air clubs, Space too had to tow the line.  The earliest party now begins at 4.30pm, arrive early enough and you get to watch the sun set while you party.

Monday -Monday Calling is a chilled out affair with fresh funky house beats, this night starting from 10pm is definitely the antidote to the night before.  Tuesday - Carl Cox’s Revolution which is in its 9^th year, this is the night to expect a show, big names, big line-ups and big tunes. 

Wednesday - from 10pm brings you techno, dance, spirit and ritual from Kehakuma.  

Thursday - Come Together from 10pm with Calvin Harris and the Pukka Up silent disco.  Friday - Be from 10pm with “pure tech house and underground beats,” Wally Lopez, Radio Slave, Elio Riso and Ramo head up the Space royalty. 

Saturday turns polysexual  at 10pm with Café olè producing acrobats and pole dancers not to mention the best DJ’s Spain has to offer. 

Sunday - (We Love Space Sundays) kicks off at 4.30pm and carries on way into the early hours.  This means fresh blood is being pumped into the club continuously as people give up.  It also means that there are many zombie eyed people roaming around who really should have given up hours earlier. 

Ticket prices 30-40€ although Sundays can go up to 60€

Vodka mixer - 12€+  Beer – 8€+

Es Paradiswhich is celebrating its 35th Birthday this year, has the most famous pyramid out of Egypt. Originally designed to be an open-air club, Es Paradis is the perfect setting for what is known as one of the classiest club nights around.  Placed right on the waterfront in San Antonio it is one of the handiest spots for the thousands of (primarily British) tourists as well as locals.  Clubs on this side of the island are notably cheaper than Privilege, Amnesia, Pacha etc but the parties they hold are just as fabulous. 

Monday and Friday - the famous Fiesta del Agua Water Party, music from resident DJ Steeve Valverde and Guru Josh.  Be aware that the 80,000litres of water do not start falling from the sky until around 5-6am.  If you want to go for a paddle wear your swimming gear under your regular clothes, but be warned,  the normal dress code stands for this night. 

Tuesday - Ibiza Rocks after party. 

Wednesday - Clubland where you can bounce around all night to the up-tempo hardcore, pop trance and see live acts such as Cascada, N-Dubz and Tinie-Tempah. 

 Thursday - Yes Ibiza is a new party with Glas resident DJ’s and guests.

Saturday - Hed Kandi’s Circus Balearica.  The ordinarily white interior of the club has been changed to reflect the "CIRCUS BALEARICA" theme of this year’s production.  And production it is. Showgirls dressed in skimpy outfits with big hair and lots of feathers lounge on carnival style horses, acrobats spin from ropes, up poles and even in a large clear bubble that hangs above the dance floor while silver confetti falls from the roof.  Hed Kandi's 16 week residency every Saturday night definitely brings a bit of glamour back to San Antonio with the best in uplifting house music.  

Sunday - Jukebox, you want to hear it? you request it, they play it.  Sundays also offer bar price drinks all night.

Ticket prices – 25-40€

Vodka mixer – 8€ Beer – 5€

Eden is Ibizas newest superclub and is sits on San Antonios waterfront only slightly in the shadow from its competition next door Es Paradis.  With a capacity of around 5000 this is one club that gets hot…really hot but hey with such a great line-up you probably won’t care. 

Monday – Go Nuts with the magazines glamorous Nuts Girls in attendance as well as bikini competitions and lots of other things to amuse the boys. 

Tuesday - Garlands which originally hailed from the same named night in Liverpool with superb house beats and a touch of glamour. 

Wednesday - Reclaim the Dancefloor which in their words is, “the only night on the island where house, techno, and electro meets rock meets disco meets dubstep all via drum & bass” as well as having a stunning lineup throughout the summer including Annie Mac, Pendulum, Kissy Sellout, Zane Lowe and Fake Blood. 

Thursday - go smooth and sexy with the world famous brand Twice as Nice featuring guest sets from R&B stars from around the globe. 

Friday - Pete Tong who left Pacha to move to Eden brings his Wonderland, with an extensive list of guest artists including Calvin Harris, Felix Da Housecat, Brian Ferry and Steve Lawler. 

Saturday - Eden turns into a kind of alternative S and M establishment with Modoloco, meant to shock and provoke it is teamed up with deep electronic sounds. 

Sunday - Judge Jules and co (namely Lisa Lashes, Eddie Halliwell, Marco V and Cosmic Gate) have Sundays wrapped up in San Antonio with Judgement Sunday.

Ticket prices 20-50€

Drinks from 6-12€

Gala Night or as it is better known the Zoo Project is every Saturday just outside San Antonio.  This building was never actually a zoo but with a bit of clever publicity even many locals refer to it as “the old zoo.” Dressing up as a variety of animals and jungle theme is the norm for this daytime party.  Dance to the underground beats, meet friends at the seal pit or lounge around the pool.  This is one unique experience in a unique location. 

Ticket prices around 25-35€

DC10 is housed in a former aircraft hanger and is certainly not the most attractive of clubs.  It squeezes 1500 people inside but the surrounding are not on anyone’s mind.  CircoLoco on a Monday is a wild all day (from 4.30pm) party with banging underground techno.  DC10 is unquestionably the black sheep of the Ibiza 8 and was closed in 2009 for drugs offences.  The local police are all over them this year making sure they keep to the rules but however strict the presence is outside they cannot diminish what is happening inside and to the hardcore who make it out there...it is magic.