Our Ibiza Virgins' Guide series is typically aimed at island first-timers and the younger generation who have only just started dipping their toes into everything on offer here. Unlike past articles, it's conceivable even Ibiza veterans of ten seasons plus will find this entry useful.
Even though this period grows in popularity each year, it's still the case that the vast majority of returning tourists have never visited over New Year. Maybe we can convince them to now. So what can travellers expect for a visit over New Year?
Let's not beat around the bush, globally speaking, this period is the height of party season. While only a few of Ibiza's super-clubs will open, it's still a fantastic time to visit for a dance and see the island in a new light. We'll start by looking at the parties themselves.
- 31 December, New Year's Eve: Music On at Pacha
- 31 December, New Year's Eve: Toy Room at Lío Ibiza
- 31 December, New Year's Eve: Akasha
- 29 to 30 December: warm-up options
- Travel & accommodation
- Restaurants & other things to do
- Weather
The biggest club night of the year
Glamorous girl Pacha has already had arguably the biggest year of her fifty-year existence. Ibiza's original super-club celebrated the big 5-0 adorned in cherries. After that stellar year and following on from last New Year's Eve's huge party, Pacha is back again this 31 December.
Indisputably, Music On was Pacha's most successful weekly party in 2023. It sold out most weeks, with the pre-sale allocation sometimes ending months ahead of the date. That trend looks set to continue for New Year's Eve.
This is time-critical. If you want to see in 2024 in the presence of party talisman Marco Carola and his entourage of Andrea Oliva and Chelina Manuhutu, you need to think about buying your ticket now. No exaggeration. We're getting wind that tickets are running low.
Musically, you can expect underground Tech House, Pop-edits and a handful of classics fit for the occasion. MORE INFO | BUY TICKETS
Dine & Dance
If you want to add an extra layer of sparkle to your New Year's Eve, bookings are now open for Pacha's on-site El Restaurante. Dine & Dance into 2024 at one of the island's best culinary experiences.
Starting at 20:30 and priced €300 per head, the specially designed for NYE Dine & Dance set-menu is available for groups of four to ten. All food is included as well as admission into Music On afterwards. Drinks are charged as extra. MORE INFO | BOOK HERE
Playful yet elegant
For many, the magical nature of New Year's Eve presents an opportunity to glam up and dress to the nines to dance the night away. If that sounds like it might be you, then Lío Ibiza has you covered.
The cabaret, club and fine dining experience located on the water's edge in Ibiza Marina is open for a sparkling party from midnight to 05:00. It has asked party starter Teddy, mascot Frank and DJ Jon Rocca from Toy Room to handle business with playful elegance.
A strict dress code applies, but you are invited to release your inner child in the playhouse regardless. You can expect the best in R&B, Hip-Hop, thumping club music and a whole lot of shenanigans. Who can rival those views across the water to the Old Town of Dalt Vila on NYE?
To book a table for dinner and Lío's world famous cabaret show starting at 20:30, please enquire via its website.
Something a little lower-key
Although Pacha will inevitably sell out, you might be of the mindset that it will be far too busy for you. We completely understand (especially in our old age!) That's why lots of our team will be heading north to the village of San Carlos to hit Akasha, the boutique club at Las Dalias.
Ibiza's oldest music venue, Las Dalias is one of the few standing vestiges of the hippy movement of the '60s. It introduced Akasha in the winter of 2021 to complement its existing entertainment programme and hasn't looked back since. 300-capacity Akasha has been a hit.
Partly due to its intimate vibe, but also thanks to its remarkable booking policy, Akasha is a world away from the bright lights of Ibiza's super-club circuit but doesn't compromise on quality. You are always assured a great night, amongst a close-knit and largely local crowd.
That especially rings true on New Year's Eve.
Soundtracking your night is an assortment of Akasha favourites: Igor Marijuan, Oriol Calvo, Cris 44 and Sena. You are in very good hands. It's worth noting that doors only open at 00:30 (technically the morning of 1 January), so in theory you can see in the New Year at home first.
Warming up
Presumably, you won't just be flying in and out for the big night but will be extending your stay on either side. You might want to conserve your energy and be fresh. But if you get the urge for some dancing ahead of New Year, Ibiza has plenty of choice on the Friday and Saturday before.
Catering to the West Coast and its sizeable community on 30 December, Carl Cox's old crew Game Over presents a special night of its throwback party WILDCHILD. This one will feature serious crate-digging House and US Garage - a real treasure trove of discovery.
For anybody based in Santa Eulalia or further north, nomadic island promoter Keep On Dancing hosts Akasha on 29 December. You can expect colourful faces behind the decks and on the dancefloor. The night after, Akasha has had a real coup in securing Radio Slave to headline as a pre-New Year Eve alternative.
Those are some good choices. You might even decide to dispense with New Year's Eve entirely!
New Year's Day
Real clubbers will be quick to tell you that New Year's Eve is for every man, but the diehards look forward to New Year's Day just as much. Well, of course, Ibiza doesn't disappoint in that department either.
Somewhat of a rite of passage, Circoloco is back for its NYD shenanigans at DC10 on 1 January.
This year's stacked bill includes Luciano, Chris Stussy, Carl Craig, Dan Ghenacia, PAWSA, Trikk, Kilimanjaro, Arapu, Priku, Shimza, Silvie Loto, Tania Vulcano and a whole lot more. What a great way to end two, three or four consecutive nights of clubbing. MORE INFO
Getting here
So far, so good. However, with the smooth comes the rough. Understandably, getting here in winter isn't as easy as it is during summer. Flights are reduced outside of tourist season and that means those that are operating tend to be pricey. As with everything, acting sooner is better.
Depending on where you're travelling from, you may have to compromise with a connecting flight. That can seem like an extra hassle, but take it from somebody who does it frequently, it's fairly effortless and reliable when coming via either Palma on Mallorca or Barcelona El Prat.
Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Alicante and Bilbao are further options.
At time of publishing, Ryanair and Vueling have one-way flights from Barcelona in the €25 to €40 range on 28 and 29 December. Saturday is the most expensive day to travel, but there are still some real bargains if you're willing to fly on New Year's Eve itself.
skyscanner.net or Google Flights are the best online tools to play around with and map your route.
You shouldn't dismiss alternative modes of transport either. For many, coming by ferry is one of the most romantic ways to arrive - and more environmentally friendly. Imagine docking at Ibiza Port just as the sun is rising. It's magical.
There are daily sailings to/from Barcelona, Valencia and Denía on the mainland, serviced by Baleària, Trasmapi and GNV. Visit directferries.co.uk for info and to book.
Where to stay
While you might instinctively go to search for Playa d'en Bossa as you do for your summer visits, we'll stop you right there. Bossa is a summer-only resort. In fact, anybody who's driven through it as early as mid-October will tell you, it's already a ghost town by that point.
San Antonio has a general population and signs of life all year round, but visitors should expect it to feel considerably quieter compared to peak summer or even May and October. For these reasons, consider Ibiza Town or Santa Eulalia as more attractive propositions.
If money is no expense and you hanker for some luxury, then two high-end options are The Standard and Pacha's El Hotel. The latter has the added benefit of giving guests inclusive admission to Music On NYE across the road, meaning you needn't even worry about tickets.
The Art Deco designed Ocean Drive Ibiza (above), conveniently located between the bay of Talamanca and Marina Botafoc, is also now open all year round.
Mid-range choices include Marsol Apartments in Santa Eulalia or Hotel Vibra Marítimo, which is found between Ibiza Town and Figueretas. Any budget travellers should look at either Rita Hostal Boutique or Hotel Puchet, both in San Antonio.
For a full list of hotels which are open during winter, please visit this page.
Where to eat
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, yep, you've guessed it, the choice of restaurants is also more limited compared to summer. That's the bad news. The good news is that we can promise you will still eat well.
In addition to Pacha's special Dine & Dance New Year's Eve menu, there's plenty of great restaurants open for business. Newly refurbished Sa Capella (above) remains open from Wednesday through to Sunday until 7 January 2024. That's a huge win for off-season visitors.
Some of Ibiza's most cherished beachside restaurants are also open for trade. Get down to Sa Caleta or Cala Bonita to enjoy great food, followed by beach time that's markedly more spacious than during summer. On Playa d'en Bossa's golden stretch, get your feet in the sand at lively Tuk Tuk (left, below) and Zazú (right, below).
In San Rafael, the steakhouse Ca'n Pilot is open all year round if you seek a hearty meal for all that dancing. Seafood specialist Es Nautic in San Antonio harbour is another great choice and, although generally expensive, offers a wallet-friendly menu del día.
On the road to San José, Cas Costas Grill (top right, below) opens six days a week, providing warmth and occasional entertainment. In the heart of Ibiza Town, tapas made with flair and experimentation can be found at RE.ART (left, below).
Budget options include Ibiza Town's Daruma and its excellent ramen dishes. Perfect for warming you up on crisp winter evenings. After a short break in November, Rita's Cantina reopens. Just like in summer, expect to find locals flocking there for breakfast and coffee.
Plus, all the places favoured by residents, such as Es Tancó pizzeria (bottom right, above) Bar Anita, Can Tixedò, Madagascar café and Croissant Show will all be open for business as usual.
You can find more all-year-round restaurant recommendations on this page.
Other activities
The Sunset Strip may be completely closed down at this time of year, but old favourite Golden Buddha remains open at the Caló des Moro end. Further up the coast at Cap Negret, Hostal La Torre is also open with daily sunset DJ sessions. Booking is strongly advised.
You can also catch regular DJ sets at Malanga Café and at The Standard's ground-level Jara bar and restaurant.
If you really want to experience New Year like the Ibizans do, then you need to get yourself down to Las Salinas on 1 January for the annual New Year's Day Dive!
Everybody dons their speedos or bathing suits and charges en masse into the sea for an invigorating communal dive. It's a lot of fun. Everybody brings a picnic and wine is provided by Vino&Co. Plastic is discouraged, but dogs are very welcome.
That's just one example of many activities happening over this period. You will find markets, hikes and other community-based and cultural events taking place. If you'd like to learn more about what's going on, please visit our events calendar.
You should also be aware that, like most of the Latin-speaking world, Spain celebrates the Three Kings holiday on 6 January. In fact, here this is a bigger celebration than Christmas itself. That's good, in the sense that Ibiza will be in a really festive mood, but it's worth bearing in mind it is likely to impact travel cost and availability for your journey home.
What to expect from the weather
We probably don't need to tell you that you should lower your expectations compared to a summer visit, and yet the weather may well be better than you imagine. Many sunny days and incredible sunsets can be had at this time of year.
Temperatures are nicely mild up to the end of the year - not what you might be used to if from northerly climes. It's not beyond the realm of possibility you could even get some sunbathing in at the height of day, just as we managed to last year.
However, you will definitely still need to take a jacket and a couple of jumpers for when evening falls or if you get a day without sunshine.
Did that whet your appetite? It sure did for us! If you want to get a further feel for what it's like clubbing over New Year on Ibiza, read our dancefloor diary from last year.
Wherever you're planning on celebrating the New Year, we wish you a prosperous 2024 and look forward to welcoming you to Ibiza soon, in summer, if not before.
This article contains information for New Year 2023-24 but will be updated annually.
This article is part of our Ibiza Virgins' Guides, packed full of information on how to get the most out of your stay on Ibiza. Check them out.
