Jane Egginton experiences the legendary Pikes Ibiza Halloween Party
Halloween in Ibiza has become something of an annual celebration for locals after the summer tourists have left. Most of the islanders agree that the party at the legendary Pikes is the one to go to, and the event here is often billed as the best Halloween party in the world. It probably outdoes even New Year on the island in terms of anticipation and excitement.
People take partying seriously in Ibiza and in the true island spirit anything goes on Halloween. A brilliant selection of DJs always plays on no less than four sound systems in this intimate venue, with live performances and installations designed to thrill attendees. Each year devil makers are dared to up their creative input. As I arrived a gang of menacing ‘droogs’ from Clockwork Orange and a particularly alarming ‘witch’ with a dodgy eye met me as I approached the ‘Rave Yard’.
Here were three graves – freshly formed mounds of earth with makeshift headstones – for George (Michael) Howard (Marks) and Freddie (Mercury) all of whom famously partied at Pikes. ‘Anybody arriving without a ticket will be dealt with speedily, without prejudice, by the hounds of hell,’ the website declares. That may be an exaggeration, but a few practical points are worth bearing in mind.
The Halloween Party usually officially sells out but if you know people on the island, they can usually get you a ticket, which is what happened for me. All tickets (which are a bargain 15 Euros) have to be picked up the day before. On the night of this event parking is not possible in the Pikes car park; vehicles have to be left nearby and the shuttle bus used, which I wasn’t aware of and did find pretty scary. People take this party seriously – as much as anyone takes a party seriously in Ibiza. This is one of those parties where it is not cool to not dress up. And think gruesome – sexy witches are not part of the scene here.
The scary witch woman rolled her apparently dislocated eye at me at the bar and stroked her cat provocatively. Yikes! I felt like Scooby in the kids’ cartoon and made a dash to the Mercury dancefloor (named when Freddie hosted a memorable 41st birthday party here). It was early by Ibizan standards and not even midnight, yet each room was full of dancers and drinkers and everyone was wearing a costume. Each year is a different inventive theme – Voodoo Dolls were recent inspirations, with the team from Pikes dressing the dancefloors and the gardens with artworks and installations and real dedication.
For more information on Pikes Ibiza please visit: https://pikesibiza.com
Author Bio:
Jane Egginton is the author of over 40 travel guide books for publishers such as Michelin, Thomas Cook and Reader’s Digest.
Photographs courtesy of Pikes Ibiza
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