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Ibiza foodies

On with the show!

A new theatre space, magical gardens, street food and live music elevate the 528 Ibiza landscape to new heights.

The 528 Ibiza landscape has expanded and evolved to incorporate a custom-designed theatre and the magical new 528 Gardens – a space that complements the dinner-show experience with gourmet street food, delicious hand-crafted cocktails, live music and DJs. All the more reason to visit from Wednesday to Sundays, all summer long.

Words: Abby Lowe

Somewhere in the rural countryside just outside San Antonio — a place where the warm sea breeze whistles through tree branches and cicadas sing in electrically-charged harmony — a new kind of Ibiza experience is brewing. One part casual meeting place; one part extravagant dining destination, 528 Ibiza is at the core of a new kind of white isle party – the type of event forged on the foundations built by the people, places and events that came before us. A celebration of Ibiza’s past, present and future, it’s uniting like minds from across the globe beneath the same Balearic sky.

You can find this magical venue amid a sprawling bucolic estate in the Benimussa hills. Named after the frequency of love (528hz) that’s universally recognised for its abilities to connect, heal and inspire, 528 Ibiza exists to channel excitement, to activate inner creativity and to inspire inner peace among its guests, all through the means of wildly expressive entertainment. Divided across three pillars of fabulous gastronomy, innovative mixology and performances designed to conjure awe, the theatrical dinner-and-a-show has been in hot demand since the restaurant opened last summer and now in 2022, having been elevated further still, an even sleeker show and additional new dining experience awaits.

While you may catch glimpses of the show – described as ‘a cabaret journey through the story of Ibiza’ – on the brand’s social media accounts, much of the buzz surrounding 528 Ibiza lies in the surprise. Reservations for the all-new show, The Frequency of Love, are essential to view the acts in their entirety (and witness those that don’t make it onto public forums), however this season there’s a new restaurant and lounge area that’s open to one and all. 528 Gardens are where mixing, mingling and merriment sit at the top of the agenda. A relaxed concept where guests are encouraged to book tables with friends, a VIP area for something special, or spontaneously drop-in on a whim, the spectacular alfresco space is centred around an amphitheatre peppered with cosy corners designed for drinking, eating and socialising.

In a pleasing nod to its name, 528 Gardens open at 7.55pm (five to eight!) every evening, which means that visitors are treated to a scintillating sundown display to the west, as the sky transforms over the mountains and the sea glistens in the distance. Once a month, diners can also witness the otherworldly moon rise to the east on the same night, a spectacle soundtracked by the sounds of weekly music residents. Tap your feet to the sounds of Sonica Sessions on Wednesdays, as Ibiza’s most respected radio station showcases a selection of ambient electronic sounds. The Tulum-inspired Sun’s Empire takes over on Saturday evenings, with tribal beats and live music, and then Sundays are dubbed Camino del Sol, where the air is filled with blissed out Balearic beats and the Flamenco fusion of Paco Fernandez.

While the music plays and the atmosphere hums, guests are invited sip on tantalizing cocktails and to peruse the impressive selection of light bites available for grazing from the 528 Gardens food stalls. Inspired by the ever-advancing street food trend, the plates on offer are perfectly crafted, delicious morsels that beg to be eaten side by side with a selection of other treats – sharing is encouraged, though not required! Dip into pickled onion filled with cous-cous and candied pine nuts, share some tofu popcorn, follow with a calamari hot dog with kimchi, lime mayonnaise and fries or prawn quesadilla, tuck into a barbecued skewer of portobello mushroom, anticucho octopus or toro tuna, and then finish with traditional churros and dulce de leche or a vegan chocolate bar with red fruits. All of which tastes best when shared with good company, of course.

The gardens are open to one and all until midnight, however once darkness falls, the mysteries at the heart of 528 Ibiza begin to reveal themselves to those who’ve made a reservation for the dinner show. Taking place within a purpose-built, glamorous theatre space that’s been specifically constructed to house the beautifully choreographed performances, as soon as you enter the space the magic begins to unfold. Bigger, better and bolder than ever, every element from the high-end cuisine to the bespoke cocktails and of course, the show has evolved to dazzle this season’s audience, delivering night after night of hypnotic entertainment for all the senses.

After ascending the staircase adjacent to 528 Gardens, guests are met with cocktails carefully crafted by the expert in-house mixologists. While sipping, elegant dancers, charismatic actors and talented acrobats weave their way among the 528 Ibiza crowd, majestically manoeuvring to bring the world of Phoenician Ibiza to life. Draped in toga-style costumes, they interpret stories from the past, acting out vignettes that tease the birth of the white isle as we know it into existence. Finally, a beautiful contortionist appears in a life-sized coupe of water, bending and shifting into shapes that symbolise the Phoenicians’ initial voyage across endless seas and skies to Ibiza, where they laid roots for the next several centuries.

How the island evolves then becomes the focus of the storytelling at 528 Ibiza. Diners are ushered inside and seated at their tables for dinner, a gastronomic feast inspired by the elements, created using local produce and executed by Gonzalo Aragüez and Massimo Bartelloni, two of the island’s finest chefs. Meanwhile, the room glows blue and in among the twinkling rays, an uber-talented variety of acts depict the transformation of Ibiza through movement, acting and performance. From the moment the Phoenicians landed right through to the hippies and the present day, every nook and cranny of Ibiza’s past is visually explored. It’s hard to take your eyes off the stage, although it’s worth noting every plate is like a work of art too.

To ensure the enchantment of your first visit is preserved, it would be remiss to explain every element of the 528 Ibiza experience that unravels over the course of the evening. Nevertheless, guests can expect a comic duo who travel with the audience through time; acrobats swaying from the ceiling and swinging from poles; contortionists emerging from a giant floating bubble, and mind-blowingly brilliant dancers choreographed by none other than Jose Corraliza, whose past projects include the former Heart Ibiza and Cirque du Soleil — in essence, it’s likely to be the best, not to mention the most glamorous, circus act you’ll ever have witnessed.

The experience is all tied together musically by the accomplished 528 Ibiza band, and once the on-stage extravaganza has ended, guests from 528 Gardens unite with diners and the show’s cast on the theatre floor to dance until the early hours back in the theatre. The upbeat soundtrack is provided by Doorly and Friends and the atmosphere harks back the Ibiza days of old, when people from all backgrounds would come together on a dancefloor, no doubt thanks to the contribution of CEO, Andy McKay. A combination of two distinct experiences that melt together in their uniqueness, this is an unforgettable evening unlike any other — small wonder it’s being credited as an entirely new chapter in the ongoing story of Ibiza’s kaleidoscopic nightlife.