Our Ibiza club rewind is upsizing...
The next stop is Privilege - and we couldn't possibly get any bigger. At 10,000 person strong, Privilege is the world's largest club. Officially.
But with great stature, comes great responsibility. The task of filling her up is an unenviable one.
However, although rare, a full-to-the-rafters Privilege is possible, even in today's competitive climate. If you've never experienced it, take our word that it is a sight to behold.
Perhaps we should point out that it's more than one big room. It also has Vista Club, the dome, the garden and backstage. Privilege is truly a goliath and with that big stage at the front and all the production, it's like one massive indoor festival.
RESISTANCE | 31 July 2018
Few dates in the Ibiza clubbing calendar have as much pull power as Carl Cox's birthday. It is always a gargantuan affair with Coxy inviting some heavyweight pals to party with him.
Recent years have seen the shindig take place at RESISTANCE in Privilege. Anybody who has been will tell you it is mobbed, if they were even lucky enough to get tickets in the first place.
Ever the crowd-pleaser, Coxy plays twice with an earlier opening set in Vista Club, before an extended go-home set to shut things down.
Music in 2018 came from UMEK, Marshall Jefferson and Agent Orange, but just check out those carnival scenes.
Manumission | 2001
Even if you're too young to have experienced it, such is the infamy of Manumission, we're sure you will know the name - and probably heard the stories!
Manumission created the blueprint for how outrageous and hedonistic an Ibiza party can be. It turned Mondays into the biggest night of the week.
John Kelly may not mean much to younger readers, but that was kind of the point with Manumission. The show was very much elevated above the celebrity of individual DJs.
Talking of the entertainment, Manumission went above and beyond: on stage sex shows, death-defying acrobats, contortionists and drag acts. Some of the antics you just wouldn't get away with in the modern day.
Meanwhile, names like Fatboy Slim were playing unannounced in the toilets. Those were the days.
Solid Grooves | 22 September 2019
Remember us referring to Vista Club earlier? Vista is Privilege's side room. A club within a club. Because it's unrealistic to attract 10,000 clubbers every night of the week, Vista Club is sometimes the only part of the venue open.
Don't be fooled though, its technical spec and size still dwarf most other clubs! However, it's the panoramic views to the east of the island all the way to Dalt Vila, that are the big selling point.
Stay until the early hours in peak summer and you will get the full sunrise experience. Transcendent.
Here Solid Grooves' three tech musketeers Michael Bibi, PAWSA and Dennis Cruz unite for a b2b2b at the 2019 closing party. As you can see, it's quite the following they have amassed.
The future
Privilege hasn't made much of a noise of late. That said, even in a normal summer, it would be amongst the last of the superclubs to announce its plans.
Away from the dance floor and in the board room, Privilege is undergoing a change of ownership. The courts awarded majority shareholder Abel Matutes of Palladium Hotel Group full control in summer 2018, but the lengthy appeal process is still ongoing.
Whatever the outcome, Privilege is too much of a colossus to hold down. After all, it knows all about rebirth. Once upon a time, the site was home to the mighty KU, Privilege's open air predecessor.
We expect to see the giant rise again.
