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Sun Sets on Ibiza Parties

by Matthew Johnston • 08th January 2008 • 13 comments

Regional authorities in Ibiza have introduced new laws forbidding any clubs from opening between 6am and 6pm, bringing to an end years of all day partying.

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Regional authorities in Ibiza have introduced new laws forbidding any clubs from opening between 6am and 6pm, bringing to an end years of all day partying.

Reports from the Independent newspaper say that Ibiza Town and Sant Josep have joined San Antonio in banning venues from opening during those daylight hours, calling time for the all hours raves that clubs like Space and DC10 were famous for.

The Consell Insular d'Evissa is enacting these new laws in an attempt to crack down on drug use and the violent gang clashes that have apparently resulted from the clubs opening during the day time. Residents have been concerned about this for some time, and last summer was marked by the closure of Amnesia, Bora Bora and DC10 after displaying a "lax attitude" towards drug dealers in their clubs.

The 2007 season saw around 720 people arrested in drug-related offences and 2006 saw holidaymakers Gareth Richardson and Niall Hamilton from Northern Ireland, wounded after being caught up in violence between 'rival British drug gangs', as well as three people killed in gang shoot-outs over the last couple of years.

So this year, local police, tourist officials and councillors have decided that risking the international appeal of the island as a chillout haven and daytime party destination is worth it to directly tackle the more dangerous problems.

Realistically, though, we can't imagine it having a huge impact on these things, as like Pepe Rosello, owner of Space, said "The new rules ... also open the door to more illegal parties in houses and on the beaches."

Comments

  • Tayor @ 8 Jan 2008 10:05

    isnt there a new government in ibiza that wants to take the island back to its orginal roots of being a playground for the rich&famous ? so they wanna stick in more golf courses and leisure hotels and get rid of the lager lout & drugs image the place has

  • James Earley @ 8 Jan 2008 10:50

    Exactly.
    Myself and the missus were talking to a couple of the locals in the old town and taxi drivers last summer and it seemed that they were only too happy with the possibility of getting rid of the drug/scumbag scene. Kinda makes sense from their point of view to be fair. Less scum, more cash and less hassle from people with more money than sense. Still, shame to see that part of Ibiza go.

  • conor_l @ 9 Jan 2008 14:47

    Itll take a lot of drastic action to clear that element from the island I can imagine. As with all these things its a supply and demand market and theres a massive demand out there for it.

    That all said I think DC10 is massively overrated(Im probably alone on this) so it wouldnt bother me a huge amount if they had to stop opening early

  • longer @ 9 Jan 2008 22:22

    I heard only yesterday the close times were between 6 and 10Am which didnt sound too bad but 6 to 6 will be a bit of a nightmare.
    Will be interesting to see how the close time will be enforced if Some club dont shut up shop at 6 o clock.

  • CK @ 10 Jan 2008 8:01

    I read on Ibiza Spotlight that the prohibition was only 6am to midday.

    Doesn't sound too bad but to be honest, a big part of the appeal of Ibiza for me was that there is a party raging somewhere 24 hours a day.

  • conor_l @ 10 Jan 2008 12:17

    TBH you can still have a blast despite this so its not a massive loss. In the 2 years I went there, I only went clubbing in the early morning once for Circo Loco and I didnt enjoy it at all.

    Sure the best part of a trip to Ibiza anyway is the group youre with so if you wanna keep going at that hour, just convene with mates back to the apartment or whatever. One of the best things I did while there was watching the sunrise with mates on the beach after a night out in Space

  • Tayor @ 10 Jan 2008 15:13

    i think if anything it will be a good thing. the clubs there are shi-ite, all the terraces that made them great are gone, they're over priced and run on a cartel basis anyway. yet there's a great vibe to the place and loads of wicked spots north of the island for running parties and raves. which will mean more people being able to run parties , hopefully more music variation and less monopoly, and more creativity. overall for the scene over there, it could well be the best thing that ever happened...

  • conor_l @ 10 Jan 2008 16:54

    Yeah maybe. Wouldnt necessarily agree that the clubs are sh*te but if you're there to hear cutting edge music or meet amazing friendly people, its not the right place to do it. Never made it early enough to Space's terrace but from what I could gather it seemed to be generally bog standard funky house from the majority of the djs who played there. Always liked the Space main room at night.

    Either way the reason I had such a great time in Ibiza was the people I was with, the craic I had and the fact that it was in the sun without a million scumbags or drunken idiots puking all over you. I never found the music massively inspiring over there TBH

  • Tayor @ 10 Jan 2008 17:59

    they are shi-te in the sense they could be so much better i suppose. like Space on Sunday for example - whats the point in having 5-10 rooms of music over 24 hours and have every plank play variations of electro house ?

  • conor_l @ 10 Jan 2008 18:38

    Completely agree. But the problem is there are large profits to be had and club owners and promoters seem more interested in how they can make as much as possible in the 3 holidays months rather than pushing or developing anything artistically creative. I suppose in a way it emphasises how important it is to have cutting edge scenes run by locals and regulars in various towns and cities worldwide, as while Ibiza may be a high profile 'hub' of clubbing, it is mainly interested in saturation and instant gratification.

    In short, its great for having a laugh with mates, sh*t if you wanna hear new interesting things or be challenged on any creative level

  • queenlataoife @ 14 Jan 2008 15:16

    "isnt there a new government in ibiza that wants to take the island back to its orginal roots of being a playground for the rich&famous ?"
    Even if they do the rich and famous will still want drugs :)

  • stefano1981 @ 15 Jan 2008 11:26

    The clubs aren't allowed open from between 6am and 12pm which is not really going to make much difference. We went to DC10 at 9am after Space last year and it was dead; the terrace wasn't open till 12.30 anyway. The place doesn't get going until about 3 or 4 anyway so that's no issue. Never bothered going to Space on Sundays early (don't like the club tbh) so that doesn't affect me either.

  • Matthew @ 15 Jan 2008 12:34

    Actually its a mistake in our original article.

    http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3315040.ece

    As you can see here, the new laws will prevent the 6am to 12pm opening, but the authorities want to go further and have laws introduced to prevent 6am to 6pm opening as well!

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