Why Come?
This is a truly magical time on the island. August crowds are long gone and generally the people left on or now visiting the island are essentially (and refreshingly) all about the music. Don't expect closing parties to be anything but packed, but you can expect a fantastic atmosphere and dance floors full of like-minded clubbers. A lot of party-goers and PR-workers have trudged back to their homeland after wearing out their feet and their wallets, so you can actually get some of those beautiful spots on the island to yourselves. You can expect a slightly more mature crowd than you experience mid-season, as you get a lot of long-time Ibiza veterans coming out purely for closings, well aware that the best is normally saved until last.
These parties are legendary – expect lots of toe-curling, face-scratching, grabbing your mobile and Shazaming the hell out of that amazing song moments, where you and other clubbers (who have naturally become your BEST FRIENDS EVER) lose your collective faculties and DJs let their hair down, taking risks for one last time. You also get a lot more 'bang for your buck' by purchasing tickets to these nights; all closing parties, especially during (but not limited to) the final fortnight, tend to rebel past their curfew, so the closing period is an excellent opportunity for clubbers to prove their mettle by dancing well past breakfast at every opportunity. If you're like me, maybe try sneaking a mini croissant through security - when you've been at three amazing overrunning closings in a row, your feet will thank you for a bit of extra energy to stomp with.
How do you get here?
Taking the example of flying from the UK, flights are still readily available in September, though slightly less so in October. Prices vary wildly, but do get cheaper the later you go, as it is no longer peak season. Jet2 and RyanAir seem to provide the cheapest flights, however the later in the season you go the more likely you are to have to fly from one of the more central or larger airports, meaning the possibility of a short train adventure first, and in both cases hold luggage is extra. (It's worth noting though, that you get a 22kg allowance for around £20 with Jet2 in comparison to 15kg for around £25 with RyanAir). If flying seems a bit too simple however, you can always drive over, making the epic journey part of the experience, and even road-tripping around parts of Europe on your way there (and especially on your way back so you don't have to throw yourself right back into reality on your return). According to Google Maps, driving from London to Ibiza would take around 22 hours, at 1113 miles, including the train through the Channel Tunnel to France and the Ferry from Barcelona to Ibiza Town. Working that out at around 10p per mile the cost is £111.30 or €140. The ferry from Barcelona to Eivissa is around €200 each way depending on the day you travel, and the Eurotunnel train with a car comes out at around £75 each way. So between 4 or 5 people that's pretty good and extends your holiday and ‘remember when...!' story ratio.
Flight & Ferry Information - ibiza-spotlight.com/travel_flights
Where should you stay?
Hotels
- Hotels for clubbers - ibiza-spotlight.com/clubbers-hotels
- Playa d'en Bossa Hotels - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotelguide/accommodation_pdb
- San Antonio Hotels - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotel-guide/accommodation_san_antonio
- Ibiza Town Hotels - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotel-guide/accommodation_ibiza
- Apartments
- Playa d'en Bossa Apartments - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotel-guide/accommodation_playa_den_bossa
- San Antonio Apartments - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotel-guide/apartments_san_antonio
- Ibiza Town Apartments - ibiza-spotlight.com/hotel-guide/apartments_ibiza
You should choose your accommodation based on which clubs you think you'll be calling ‘home' for the week. Space, Ushuaïa, DC10 and Sankeys are all based around Playa d'en Bossa, so if you want to be within walking distance or spend little to nothing on a taxi, staying in Bossa is the way forward. This also makes disco napping between parties a lot easier; less time travelling + more time snoozing = more hardcore partying!
Island Transport:
Bus – There are various bus routes around the island that run from morning to evening. Prices are at about €1-3 depending on the route and time.
Details here - ibizabus.com
For the night hours there is also a Discobus service, which takes clubbers in San An, PDB and Ibiza Town to and from all the major clubs on the island at the bargainous price of €3 each way. Really the Discobus has been a fantastic very much underrated service that has meant I've been able to enjoy so many nights out this season and not had to worry about spending a bomb on taxis home.
Alas, the Discobus service finishes on September 30th (lets be fair, the Discobus drivers deserve to get in on some closing action), so if you're coming out for Ibiza's closing credits in October don't forget to budget and bring enough money for your taxis home (here's where it pays to stay near the clubs you think you'll most want to go to, as you'd save heaps on taxis). If you'd really rather spend your cents on staying mildly hydrated in the clubs rather than a taxi ride home, many regular bus services start running at about 7am, so you can always wait around for one of those to show up and save on the cab. A word from the experienced; if you do attempt this, try to look as prim and pulled together as possible, if you look too much like a rabid raver, the drivers won't be too keen to let you mingle with normal civilisation.
Privilege runs a free bus service, taking people home to PDB or San Antonio, but it's just the one bus, so you can't always rely on getting on it. Amnesia also has a free bus service taking clubbers to Amnesia from San Antonio (as well as from Playa d'en Bossa), but again, when it will come and whether you will get on can't be guaranteed. Also, in both cases, it means you have to leave the party an hour or so before the end which, let's face it, is just as regretful an idea as walking out of Star Wars before the Darth Vader-father-revelation.
Taxi – There are many taxis around in each of the major towns. Just look for the line of white cars! The main taxi rank in San An is at the bottom of the West End, and there are various taxi ranks along the main road in PDB. You're looking at around €8 from PDB to Ibiza Town, around €30 between PDB and San An, and around €25 between San An and Ibiza Town.
Anything Else?
Most of the bars and beach clubs will still be open during September but you can't count on all of them. Sa Trinxa on Salinas beach is a cool afternoon hangout spot for clubbers, which remains open until late in the season. A lovely and free entertainment option is of course watching the sunset, which, at this time of the year, is particularly good to watch from Cap d'es Falco, in the Salinas area.
Finally, don't be fooled into thinking Ibiza is a sweltering sunny paradise all year round. By October, things are pretty nippy – after the unexpected and unpleasant wind chill of May, I won't be tackling October without a pair of trusty jeans and something long-sleeved. Oh, and you may as well be at peace with the fact that your tan will fade as quick as your hierbas buzz will wear off with the huge packed clubbing schedule we're about to lay out for you, you'll be lucky to see much daylight.
Party Guide:
This year, the first fortnight of closing parties are quite well spread out, giving you time in between to rest and recuperate.
Monday 16th September: Roger Sanchez says goodbye to his inner freak until next year, with the Cafe Ole Closing Party at Space. Sanchez is joined by House South Brothers and one of the island's underground favourites Marco Loco amongst others.
Tuesday 17th September: Luciano finishes his Luciano and Friends residency, joined by Mirko Loko, Mendo, Chez Damier and more, a great way for this event to go out with a bang, taking over both club and tower of Ushuaïa.
Wednesday 18th September: the island says goodbye to its weekly injections of live music as Ibiza Rocks ends on a high with the wonderful Foals headlining, supported by Jagwar Ma and Kiwi. As always, the party then continues at Es Paradis with the final edition of the Ibiza Rocks After Party. Also, Space's in house residency Ibiza Calling comes to a close.
Thursday 19th September: in case you missed Cream Closing Party Part 1 on the 12th, Thursday 19th September offers a second instalment; in fact, you may agree that it's the, er, cream of the cream.... Cream Closing Part 2 features Paul Van Dyk and Eddie Halliwell in the main room, then Laidback Luke and special guest, who went down a storm last year, Benny Benassi, on the famous Terrace.
Friday 20th September: Ibiza Rocks' fledgling party W.A.R. We Are Rockstars shuts the Ibiza Rocks Hotel doors for good, with Mark Ronson & usual suspects Zane Lowe & Doorly rounding off WAR's second season. Clandestin lock even their favourite partiers out as Felix Da Housecat will most certainly catterwaul the Terrace of Space down in a farewell. On the other side of the island, the streets of San Antonio will be shaking thanks to Judgement Fridays Closing at Eden, with The Judge himself, Showtek et al.
Saturday 21st September: Amnesia's infamous gay-friendly spectacular Matinée comes to a close, and as the only closing this night, there's no excuse not to go get a bit wild with some sequins and feathers.
Sunday 22nd September: Eden presents the closing of Ferry Corsten's Full On Ferry party with Marco V, Sied van Riel, Ben Gold and of course Ferry himself.
The whole week beginning the 23rd September sees the end of nearly all off-shore expeditions. Let's face it, unless you're the Jack Sparrow of the high seas I doubt your sea legs are sturdy enough for the choppy waves and stormy swells late September likes to bring. On Tuesday 24th and Friday 27th, both the San Antonio and Playa d'en Bossa Pukka Up Boat Parties bid us adieu until next year (but there is one extra Pukka Up boat from San Antonio on 1st October), and the Lost In Ibiza Boat drops its sails after a final party with Huxley as main act on Wednesday 25th September.
Monday 23rd September: house heads and trance fans will be divided between Hypercolour at Sankeys, who are hosting a Hotflush Recordings special with Scuba, George Fitzgerald and Dense & Pika, and Armin van Buuren's epic A State of Trance Closing with Armin, New World Punx (that's Markus Schulz and Ferry Corsten's team-up), W&W and Cosmic Gate.
Tuesday 24th September: That's a big date! You'll have to decide between Together Closing Party (Part 1) at Amnesia and Carl Cox Closing Party, with Amnesia housing Chase & Status, Sub Focus, Nero, Knife Party and Sander van Doorn on the (mostly) drum and bass side of things, and Coxy going out with a bang with tINI, Loco Dice et al at Space. Also, no time to recover for Sankeys fans, as it's Diynamic Neon Nights Closing, with Solomun, H.O.S.H, Stimming, David August and the full Diynamic family getting involved, including one of this summer's hottest freshest duos Adriatique. We're still not done though, because it's the last possibility for you to enjoy the 80s & 90s Special Edition of the Fiesta del Agua Water Party at Es Paradis. And last, but definitely not least, long-time resident Piti brings you Flower Power Closing at Pacha. Lots of heart-shaped confetti, a vintage soundtrack, free love and free flowers for your hair on entry...What a night!!
Wednesday 25th September: Daytime action first! The Lost in Ibiza boat party normally happens on Thursdays, but for the closing they've moved to Wednesday. Enjoy one more sailing with them and continue the party later at DC-10 for the last Paradise session of the season (see the combo tickets available for this). Elsewhere, the very last La Troya of the season happens on the Amnesia Terrace - don't miss this, it's too much fun! And in San An, you'll get the last Feed the Greed at Eden as well as the final GLOW neon paint party at Es Paradis.
Thursday 26th September: one for the full timers and not the faint-hearted, with Ushuaïa and Space both presenting great closings (and luckily being right opposite each other); Dice presents his final Used & Abused Party with Martin Buttrich, tINI, Pulshar (Live), Hector and an extended set from himself. Meanwhile, the island's techno troupe don their blacks, and are given even more reason not to smile as we all cry goodbye to Richie Hawtin's ENTER. experience. You can expect resident Paco Osuna, Matador (Live) and Hawtin himself in the Discoteca, and some of the season's finest on the Terraza including Maya Jane Coles and Hot Since 82. There's also what I'd imagine will be an unmissable set from Marcel Dettmann in Enter.Sake. Elsewhere, David and Cathy Guetta confess their love for you one more time at F*** Me I'm Famous Closing, Pacha Edition. Joining Guetta is Chuckie and Daddy's Groove. Over in San Antonio, or to be more specific in Eden, you'll get the last Ministry of Sound session of the summer - line up still to be announced.
Friday 27th September: Marco Carola hosts the last Music On of the season at Amnesia, with a really interesting line-up of Marc Antona, Leon and of course the Ambassador himself most likely playing until some wonderfully ungodly hour on the Terrace, and resident Joseph Capriati, Mar-T and a debut from a firm island favourite, Nic Fanciulli. Watch out for the after hours too! And it's also the last chance for you to get properly wet with Es Paradis' last edition of their Fiesta del Agua Water Party.
Saturday 28th September: another very busy one with daytime and night time closings... You have one more opportunity to get painted like an endangered species (and actually pull it off) at The Zoo Project Closing, then across at Ushuaïa is one of the season's new party success stories, the Ants Closing Party where Andrea Oliva is joined by Deetron, Timo Maas and Just Be.
On the night of the 28th September, you've got plenty of events to choose from. There's the Hed Kandi & Es Paradis Closing Party at the San An waterfront club, which thanks to Lovely Laura on sax is always a great feel-good night. Or, Carnival Cities Closing at Sankeys with the newly-dubbed ‘next Solomun' Finnebassen, Shlomi Aber, Alexis Raphael, the fantastic William Kouam Djoko and BONES... At Booom! Defected in the House Closing Party boasts a competitive line-up with Eats Everything, Nick Curly, Tensnake, the one and only MK and Noir. Then, at Privilege, El Row is also on to their last show with Booka Shade and more and last, but not least it's also the Uncaged/Garlands Closing Party at Eden. If you don't want to regret missing one of these, expect to find yourself running full pelt across town or getting the occasional worth-every-penny taxi!
So now (drum roll please), we get to the last fortnight of the season... Comfortable dancing shoes tightly laced, people!
Sunday 29th September:
Defying all rules that Sunday is a day of rest, there's four huge closings. Luckily, most of them are pretty much next door to each other so you have no excuse to not get amongst it! Sasha Presents Never Say Never Closing at The Ushuaïa Tower with Sasha, Guti, Dimitri Nakov and a special guest. Remember this is a free one (which over closings makes a nice change!) but make sure you dress to impress a bit. Across the road at Space is the iconic We Love Closing Party, with Fatboy Slim, 2 Many Djs, Bicep, James Zabiela and Paul Woolford to name but a few. Just round the corner, Steve Lawler and his VIVa Warriors have one final hurrah, with a line up of Darius, Detlef, Philip Bader, Sante, wAFF and a secret special guest... Over in San Antonio, it's Eden's final dance of the summer, line up still TBA.
Sasha Presents Never Say Never Closing at Ushuaïa Tower
Monday 30th September:
Like your favourite relative that always gives you pocket money each week, Papa Sven finishes his reliable weekly dose of priceless techno with what you can only expect will be the best line-up of this season at the Cocoon Closing Party. Confirmed so far is of course Sven Väth himself, the legendary sashaying salsa-ing techno Ambassador Ricardo Villalobos and Romanian minimalist Raresh. If you're anything like me, you'll be waiting for the rest of this line-up like a child waiting for the latest must-have toy at Christmas.
For those who'd rather get their hands dirty, Pacha and Chuckie provide Epica - Dirty Dutch Closing, with Arty, Gregori Klosman and Glowinthedark. Two great and musically very different nights, so not likely you'll need to flip a coin for this one.
Epica- Dirty Dutch Closing Party
Tuesday 1st October:
That's a pretty easy one: either you're still partying at the Cocoon afterparty somewhere or then you enjoy the very last Pukka Up Boat Party of the season. Only San Antonio today. There is also Together Closing Party Part 2 at Amnesia, which will be the afterparty after the boat, with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Moguai, Andy C, Otto Knows and more.
Pukka Up Boat Party - San Antonio extra closing party
Wednesday 2nd October:
Guy Gerber dusts his gloves off one last time for his mid-week musical trip, Wisdom of the Glove at Pacha. The Israeli-born DJ has chosen his line-ups wisely all through the season, providing some great live sets and some of the most talented artists around. The closing is no exception as he is joined by Magda, dOP (live), Shaun Reeves, Bill Patrick and Maavan Nidam. Here's hoping he dons his cape again for this final show. Meanwhile, Sankeys hosts the Fuse Closing Party with none other than tINI, Enzo Siragusa, Seb Zito and Rossko, a brilliant line-up for what has been a brilliant season for this London-based party.
Wisdom of the Glove Closing Party
Thursday 3rd October:
Also on the 3rd, on a Thursday rather than the usual Saturday slot, is the Kehakuma Closing at Space with Levon Vincent et al taking over the Terraza.
Friday 4th October:
Things get crazy over at Pacha with John Digweed and Fritz Kalkbrenner's Insane Closing Party. The line-up includes some of the biggest acts the residency has seen this season, including DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Coyu and Re:No. Also closing its doors until next year is biggest club in the world, Privilege, with SupermartXé as their final farewell. Expect feathers galore, the tightest speedos you may ever see and a really spectacular show in the Main Room. The Vista Club hosts a great line up of techno and tech house DJs such as Christian Smith, Alexander Kowalski, Dosem, Elio Riso and more. It's also the final night for Audiofly's Flying Circus at Sankeys. Audiofly are joined by Lee Burridge, Lee Curtiss, Clarian, Acid Pauli, Hector, and if that wasn't fantastic enough, a special guest yet to be announced...
SupermarXe & Privilege Closing Party
Saturday 5th October:
Ushuaïa's keeping us waiting on this one, as names have yet to be announced... However, if the killer opening line-up including Sven Väth, Joris Voorn, Luciano and Maya Jane Coles is anything to go by we're not going to be disappointed. It's also the night of the Pure Pacha Closing Party, a fitting in-house residency for the club to officially end its summer roster with. There is a special guest still to be confirmed, then Shapeshifters and John Jacobsen also on the billing.
Saturday 5th is also the start of one of the daddies of closings - Amnesia Closing Party. Starting from midnight and going on well into the next day, this should almost be advertised as a Sunday closing, as some people don't get there until well past midnight and you can expect to be stomping in the sun-drenched terrace til silly o'clock on Sunday. So far the line-up is huge... Marco Carola, Maceo Plex, Matthias Tanzmann, Steve Lawler, Eats Everything, Mar-T, Neverdogs, Cuartero, Les Schmitz, Caal Smile... And there are even more to be added. Eeek!
Plus, there is one last Pukka Up Boat Party happening, on the Playa d'en Bossa side of the island, in the afternoon. Their ticket includes the Amnesia Closing Party as their afterparty, just take note that with their ticket you'll need to be in by 1am latest (whereas with the normal Amnesia Closing Party ticket you can go in until 6am at the latest).
Pukka Up Amnesia Closing Party Special Edition
Sunday 6th October:
Sunday gives you a trio of closings (to be fair, the calendar has been pretty well organised until now so you can attend as much as possible, but you'll have to make the occasional closing decision!) At Booom! There's the Cadenza Vagabundos Closing Party with Luciano, Derrick May and Mirko Loko... Then, just a stone's throw away at Pacha, Solomun's joined by Roisin Murphy as his final guest at Solomun + 1. Plus, last but definitely by no means least, it's the huge Space Closing Party. Starting at 4:30pm, you can expect every space in, er, Space to be constantly bouncing with great artists and tunes. The line-up so far consists of Carl Cox, Blackhall & Bookless, Camilo Franco, Charlie Hedges, Danny Marquez, Edu Imbernon, Javi Bora, Marco Loco, Nicole Moudaber, Paul Reynolds, Ramon Castells, Reboot, Remo, Uto Karem..... And many more to be announced soon...
Cadenza Vagabundos Closing Party
Monday 7th October:
For those who are still going, today is the day of the famous Circo Loco Closing Party at DC10. Yet another party where the line-up is still TBA, but judging by their line-ups each week, we're all in for a treat. The party starts early at noon, so if you've been to Space the night before you might want to roll straight to DC-10 for your afterparty! It runs late though, so you've plenty of time for a nap if you need it. Circoloco is the ultimate underground party, with very little production the focus is purely and the music and the people around you. There will be many of these! DC-10 gets incredibly busy between about midnight and 4am so its a good idea to mobilise before that and enjoy the open area, which received brand new decking for 2013.
Tuesday 8th October:
The final closing party of the season is a very special one: the Sankeys 24 Presents XXIV Veni, Vidi, Vici Closing Party. This is a celebration of Sankeys' third and most successful year on the island. Not only are they celebrating the fact they've conquered the aims they set for themselves as a club, but they are also trying to break the Guiness World Record for the biggest toga party, encouraging partiers and DJs alike to get creative with their bedsheets. The line-up so far includes Steve Lawler, Skream, Darius Syrossian, DJ Sneak, Reboot, Andrea Oliva, Âme (live), Miguel Campbell, Finnebassen, Hector Couto, Detlef, Rossko, Seb Zito, Antonio Piacquadio, Julian Perez, Bones, Andy Baxter and Marino Canal. This is a 24 hour party with more details and even more epic names to be announced soon so keep your eyes peeled!
Sankeys 24 Presents XXIV Veni, Vidi, Vici Closing Party
So, there you have it. Your ultimate guide to the Ibiza 2013 Closings. Just remember to stock up on lots of vitamins, and take your sunglasses with you at all times. You never know how long these things will kick on!
