Event Previews & Reviews from Ibiza

When one hears Music Festival and Ibiza in the same sentence a whole lot of images spring to mind but I can assure you your vivid imagination would have been way off about what went down on Sunday June 19th to the annual Ai Carai Festival in San Carlos, Northern Ibiza.

It’s not often that one thinks of culture in relation to San Antonio but for a month this summer the boozy, bar crawl of a town in south west Ibiza is getting a chance to show people that it’s about more than just binge drinking and boat parties as it plays host to the annual Bloop festival.

As part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Las Dalias market, Manu Chao and his band took to the stage on a warm sunny Friday evening at the beginning of May.

There is no denying that Ibiza Rocks is one of the ultimate hot spots to visit this summer. With a banging line-up of acts and an incredible venue for them to perform in, not to mention drink prices that don’t require a platinum card, Ibiza Rocks has got what we’re looking for and that is something just a little bit different.

Ibiza town was transformed this weekend and sent back into the dark ages with the arrival of the annual Medieval Festival, which took over the old town Dalt Vila from the 5th to the 8th of May. For four days the town became a swarming hive of bizarre and theatrical activity as upwards of 50,000 people descended upon Ibiza Town to help celebrate its rich and multi cultural past. 

Sunday saw the grand finale of the 2nd Annual Ibiza Pride Festival and after a week of events, parties and celebrations it certainly closed in style with a parade through the streets of Ibiza old town and a street party on the Vara De Ray.

I recently had the opportunity to hop aboard one of Ibiza’s most famous boat party companies, Pukka Up. I was lucky enough to join them for their Friday sunset trip and having heard all about their raging parties, I was pretty excited to get onboard ‘the biggest boat party in the world’.

Whether you’re looking for some quiet time alone with a classic film, a romantic location for a date night or an unforgettable spot for a group hang out Cinema Paradiso has got you covered. Their open-air cinema set up inside the fortified walls of Dalt Vila old town is an incredibly atmospheric place to spend an evening.

Ibiza Rocks, the home of live music in Ibiza, has come through once again. An amazing night of real bands, real music and real rock with the Kaiser Chiefs lighting up the stage with all the energy of their original explosion into peoples Indie Rock hearts over 10 years ago.  

Every year, in late August to September, Ibiza is home to the festival of Sant Bartomeu. The Patron saint of the Sant Antoni area is celebrated with two weeks full of cultural events and fiestas including fireworks, music, art and sporting events that culminate in the hilarious annual Romans Versus Carthaginians tomato fight.