We’ve reached the end of yet another long, hot summer in Ibiza and as is island custom, rather than resting and relaxing, the majority of locals and a huge final influx of tourists saw it as cause to celebrate by going to a party or two. Or three. Or (ahem!) in the case of Miss W… four.
Well it would have been downright rude not to!
PARTY NUMBER 1
Starting with Ushuaia (which was where it all began back in May), where the Cadenza crew were holding court, we arrived fashionably late to a v-e-r-y full house indeed, as 2011’s most talked about DJ, Luciano, was taking to the poolside stage. Dressing the part for a pool party might I add, in a very un-Vagabundo patterned Hawaiian shirt!
Hanging around in the backstage area, there were more beautiful girls than at a fashion shoot casting. It may be the end of summer, but the temps are still almost 30 degrees, meaning there was plenty of flesh on display and beautiful skimpy outfits to be gawked at everywhere you looked.
With fireworks bursting from the stage, confetti bursting from cannons, jaw-dropping performances by Gore’s dancers (everything from Geisha inspired routines and fetishest latex contraptions to those giant marshmallow men again) and a greatest hits style set of tunes (albeit with a tech-house beat) from the venue’s star DJ, it was a much bigger affair than the opening. WAY bigger. Bigger than big. In fact, it was so crowded, Miss W actually snuck away five minutes before the end to ensure she could get a taxi home in the interest of pacing myself over the weekend.
PARTY NUMBER 2
Given my obsession with Luciano, I decided to treat Sunday as a day of rest, and give myself plenty of time to prepare for the Vagabundos closing party at Pacha later that night. Arriving early, we spent a few hours on the rooftop terrace, again reveling in the balmy summer night air before hitting the dance floor to the sounds of Reboot playing live before Luciano stepped into the booth for one last time in 2011, joined by pianist Francesco Tristano, adding a great live element to the night.
It wasn’t quite as busy as I’d expected, perhaps due to the mega party marathon of Amnesia’s closing (which had continued until 5pm that day!) and Space’s epic closing fiesta at the same time. All good in my book, as it meant having much more room to dance – though the same can’t be said for the DJ booth, where it looked as though at least 25 people were crammed in, passing around bottles of Hierbas and looking as though there was no chance of the party stopping… until it got to 8.30am, when the Pacha night managers officially pulled the plug. Boo.
Francesco Tristano, the piano man (the guy in the background, not the concrete man!)
PARTY NUMBER 3
So the sun was shining, the weather was sweet and news of an after party at Ushuaia quickly reached my dancing feet. I’m not normally much of an after party girl (I prefer a hot shower and my bed to sweaty ravers in last night’s clothes!) but given the fact Luciano was playing AGAIN and it would be the last time this summer I could see him, I could hardly stay home now, could I?
Having received the special wristbands that allowed access (this was a ‘private’ after party apparently), we walked into the venue to find the pool area roped off and a smaller stage set up towards the beach. And it was LOUD. Boy was it loud. You’ve got to hand it to the Cadenza lot – they do know how to go out with a bang (or at least a very loud four-four beat)! Luciano was on the decks (of course) playing back to back with most of the Cadenza artists (biggest props to Mayaan Nidam – amazing!) over the course of the afternoon.
The vibe was magical. Hedonistic. Dancing with reckless abandonment in the daylight with like-minded souls to the very best (loud) music in the world. What more could you ask for? Well, at 4pm, with the party still in full swing, I began to ask myself the same thing when I remembered there was somewhere else I was supposed to be…
PARTY NUMBER 4
Circo Loco at DC10 was calling. I gathered the troops, weary but not yet beaten, and made our way to what is, quite possibly, the world’s craziest club, made even bigger with a garden stage set up for the occasion. Yes, I will admit it, I was still wearing the same party frock from the night before. Oh the shame… but how good is getting carried away in the moment? That’s what Ibiza is all about if you ask me – thankfully I have a job that doesn’t require me to be at a desk at 9am on Monday mornings!
So 24 hours of partying (though admittedly I did have a break in between parts) later, here I am. As far as I know, there are STILL after parties going on as I type (clearly Luciano isn’t playing or I wouldn’t be at the computer). In 2011, it just seems like the summer is never going to stop. But please – let’s call it a day now, shall we? (Unless you can tell me where Luciano is today?) I need a holiday just thinking about it!
THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: A three-party Luciano marathon. Need I say more?
THE BAD: Wake me up when the hangover subsides!
THE GOSSIP: Daytime parties and after parties are officially back, after the past few years have seen them dwindle due to the ban enforced by the government. But how is this legal? Has there been a change in the law or are our super clubs just getting braver now the heat is off… I’m already looking forward to next year to find out just how much further we can go!
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