Ibiza Virgins' Guide: BBC Radio 1 Weekend

The ultimate guide to the busiest weekend in Ibiza.

Rallying the troops together and coming to a unanimous decision on which dates you choose to descend on the White Isle can have your brain feeling like a tuna melt. If that is the case, essentially, we all know it's worth the headache and at the back of our minds we're already visualising ourselves clawing for the DJ booth like an unhinged lunatic.

There will be weekends upon weekends that'll initially make the shortlist, and one that has consistently screamed ahead to make the final cut is the BBC Radio 1 Weekend. Considering that the world-renowned radio station has dominated clubber's itineraries for over two decades, with this year being its 23rd trip, this has firmly become one of the craziest and busiest weekends of the summer.

In 2017 the nonsense begins on Friday 4 August, and this summer we'll be putting the island's newest superclub Hï Ibiza, San Rafael giant Privilege, Pacha's open-air resort Destino and San Antonio sunset stealer Café Mambo to the test.

As can no doubt be guessed from the title, we've got your backs covered if this year is set to be your first Radio 1 Weekend mission. However, our guide might just prove useful to any club sweepers who are all set for an August dip.

Read on for our daily breakdown, and let the countdown begin.


Friday 4 August / BBC Radio 1 at Hï Ibiza / Playa d'en Bossa / 19:00 – 5:00 (last entry 1:00)

If this is set to be your first taste of Ibiza's newest clubbing haunt, then what a peachy ride you're in for as you stand to take in nine stormy hours of electronic venom within its walls.

As you make your way across the paved garden area to the entrance, you'll be sure to take stock of the DJs inside waiting to give you a good beating. On the bill across the visually magnetic Theatre (Room 1) and the thundering Club (Room 2) you have two of the station's best-known faces – dance music kingpin Pete Tong and champion of new music Annie Mac.

Other Radio 1 hosts set to load their selections are dance anthems pusher Danny Howard, Friday night selector B.Traits, 1Xtra tastemakers Monki, MistaJam and DJ Target. Big Ibiza names who'll be there with full-frontal ferocity are Hï Ibiza residents Eric Prydz, Kölsch and Waze & Odyssey, with island regulars Maya Jane Coles and Mele also making the cut.

This club is a haunt for the clubbers who like to get a little lost in their surroundings and stumble upon an area they didn't know existed 60 minutes ago. If you need a little respite, be sure to tumble into the Magic Garden – an open-air space complete with tequila bar, a seating area and large Singapore-inspired super trees.

And you simply cannot miss the Wild Corner. A flamboyant quarter where toilet cubicles meet an intimate multi-coloured dance floor, you can expect to hear a dousing of uplifting anthems while you queue for the loo – although should you be there to use the loo, you'll completely forget all about it.

How to get there: €25 for a cab from San Antonio, €10 for a cab from Ibiza Town. Disco buses run along both these routes at night.

Live streaming: If you can't make it down, you don't have to miss out as Radio 1 will be streaming live between 20:00 and 5:00 (Ibiza time).


Saturday 5 August / BBC Radio 1 at Café Mambo / San Antonio / 17:00 – midnight



Not only do we associate Café Mambo with those stonkingly excellent Ibiza sunsets, but also as a damn good hotspot for a pre-party.

Yes, it's undeniably the most famous sunset bar on this planet. Even if you haven't yet been to Ibiza, it's likely that you've seen sunset videos or photos splashed across social media. Watching the sun dip below the horizon is knockout on this part of the island, and you'll be caught up in the whoops and cheers that soundtrack this moment every single day – expect some tears in there too. As the official pre-party spot for Pacha, with a host of other club DJs warming up here, it's also exalted as a hotspot for music heads.

On Saturday 5 August, you'll be bringing in the sunset with a throng of dexterous guests. On the bill is the ever-elusive Claptone, who's having a strong season so far with dates for Together, Defected and elrow; Radio 1's Danny Howard, who made an appearance with Defected, Cream and Pure Pacha; London-based house music trio and Together resident Disciples; 1Xtra broadcaster and Ibiza Rocks regular MistaJam; Bristol-based duo Icarus; Riton, a house music producer who's guested for Eden's Taste The Punch residency; Manchester-born, London-based producer TCTS; and we'll also be having back to back sessions from Together residents Gorgon City and Duke Dumont, and house music pushers Friend Within and Kideko.

Live streaming: You can see all the action from your phone screens between 17:00 – 00:00.


Saturday 5 August / Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra Ibiza Classics / 17:00 - 23.30

Pete Tong is bringing his seminal Ibiza Classics show to Destino for a one-off event. Since its debut at the BBC Proms in 2015, this series has imploded with a slew of spectacular shows in 2016 and 11 being billed for 2017 - including Ibiza.

Undoubtedly billed as one of the hottest tickets of the season - the kind that will induce tears - on Saturday 5 August we'll be hearing a fusion of classic dance tracks performed by the 65-piece Heritage Orchestra with conductor Jules Buckley.

This will be magical in every sense of the word, especially when the venue of choice is Pacha's open-air resort, Destino, which gives you unbeatable views of Ibiza town.

Unbeatable and unmissable - get your tickets bought now because once those videos begin cropping up all over social media, you'll be feeling very regretful indeed.

Tickets: Add your tickets to the basket here.

How to get there: 15€ taxi from Ibiza Town. For big events Destino runs free round trip buses from various points of the island.


Saturday 5 August / Creamfields at Privilege / San Rafael / 20:00 – late

The sleeping giant that is Privilege has experienced a major reawakening this summer with Carl Cox crashing in and John Digweed and Sasha set to steal the show with their RESISTANCE residency.

This has undoubtedly set the tone, and we cannot wait to see this world-renowned festival take over a hallowed space that stands as the world's biggest nightclub, especially when you consider that it holds close to 10,000 clubbers.

Creamfields Ibiza kicks off early from 20:00, and we'd advise that you get in early as you won't want to miss a minute of the roaring action. Those billed to rouse the mayhem are trance trailblazers Above & Beyond, BBC Radio 1 sirens Annie Mac and B.Traits, BBC Radio 1 Rap Show host Charlie Sloth, BBC Radio 1'S dance music digger Danny Howard, Dutch weapon Don Diablo, drum & bass icon Goldie, Hï Ibiza resident Kölsch, drum & bass influencer High Contrast, festival headliner MistaJam, influential BBC Radio 1 selector Monki, Bristol bassheads My Nu Leng, UK house producer Shadow Child, boisterous EDM kingpin Steve Aoki and Finnish experimenter Yotto, among more.

Tickets: Add your tickets to the basket here.

How to get there: €15 - 20 in a taxi from San Antonio, Playa D'en Bossa or Ibiza Town. Disco buses run all night direct from Ibiza and Playa d'en Bossa to San Antonio and vice versa. There are also special free buses for ticket holders provided by clubs and promoter, from locations in Playa D'en Bossa, Ibiza Port and San Antonio.


Sunday 6 August / BBC Radio 1 at Café Mambo / San Antonio / 19:00 – midnight

Whatever you choose to do with yourself post Creamfields, make sure you scramble yourselves together and get back here for round two – no excuses, we need you.

BBC Radio 1 is bringing the weekend to a close with a very special live show that'll have the weekend bowing out on a high. You've got BBC Radio 1 presenters Annie Mac and B.Traits back in, alongside fellow Radio 1 host Benji B, Hï Ibiza resident Black Coffee, British singer-songwriter Jessie Ware and soul singer Jorja Smith.

Live streaming: Catch the final blowout between 20:00 - midnight.


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