Full moon hopping

And yes, I’m aware that by nature there really is only one moon so it’s impossible to technically ‘hop’ it, but with the amount of full moon celebrations taking place in Ibiza this week, it’s almost impossible to to stay in one place! The reason for so many full moon parties, happenings, workshops, events and dinners is that this particular full moon also happens to be a lunar eclipse. And it’s not just any lunar eclipse. This is the big daddy of lunar eclipses – it only happens once in a century. It’s called a deep red blood moon and the lunar eclipse will last one hour and 43 minutes, which is thought to be the longest period an eclipse can take place over will be the longest of the 21^st century. What a time to be alive if you’re an astro geek or a stargazer, right?

For this extended period, the moon falls under the earth’s shadow, while the sun is still shining in all its SUPER HOT July glory, meaning zero direct sunlight will reach the moon during this phase. Lucky moon – damn has it been hot in Ibiza this week! I’m sure many of us could do with a one hour and 43-minute break from the sun’s rays. Here in Europe, we’ll be able to gaze on the lunar eclipse at exactly 7.30pm time as the moon, earth and sun come into alignment. Thankfully, unlike the dangerous solar eclipses, we can look at the lunar eclipse with our bare eyes, though it’s still pretty far away so using the zoom on your iPhone for the obligatory Insta-story is advised. So the biggest challenge is really just deciding on the location (or if you want to jump on my bandwagon and go full moon hopping, locations plural) from where you wish to watch the eclipse from.

For those on a wellness tip, the all-new 7Pines Kempinski Ibiza is offering a Full Moon Rising yoga class in the amazing Pure Seven Spa – with a view that faces directly out to Es Vedra. You can be sure positive vibes and energy will be flowing, and if you’d been thinking about manifesting something or letting go of anything that’s holding you back, this could be the place to do it. Perhaps your full moon style is more about a decadent dinner – kicking back beneath the stars in a beautiful Ibiza location and letting the professionals take care of your every culinary need. Iconic island institution Las Dos Lunas are hosting a special feast in their stunning, bougainvillea-filled courtyard for the occasion, as is the Ibiza outpost of global gastronomic icon Nobu in Talamanca. The stunning garden setting of Km5 Ibiza in San Jose is another perennially popular hotspot for full moon gazing in Ibiza, as is El Carnicero on the cusp of Ibiza town or the Summer Garden Restaurant in the northern haven of Agroturismo Atzaró in the island’s north.

Over on the west side of the island, bohemian chic sunset destination La Torre Ibiza is going all out for the occasion with a World Unplugged event styled by Velvet Circus, featuring live music by Justin Manville, Declan Greene, Sebastian Lilja, Sinead White and Mateusz Adamcyck. Book a table for dinner or simply turn up and pitch a spot at the bar or on the rocks for drinks – a sunset, a moon rise, an eclipse… these events have truly been causing a stir in Ibiza this year and this one looks set to be the shining star of them all. Over on the east coast, Aguas de Ibiza are hosting a full moon party in conjunction with Babylon Beach – the beach club that’s all about giving people a good time.

Live music comedy courtesy of Hot Ice, while DJ sets are taken care of by Willie Graff and David Cop on the rooftop that is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in Ibiza. When it comes to partying full moon style, Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Club’s quirky, spiritually-tinged fiesta Dystopia is guaranteed to tick all the boxes, or if you prefer dancing with your feet in the sand, Blue Marlin Ibiza presents the aptly named Shadows party featuring Magdalena. Finally, for those who want their full moon experience to last a little longer, hip new Cala Nova beachfront restaurant Aiyanna Ibiza are planning on being fashionably late with their full moon dinner, hosting it on Saturday July 28, 2018, complete with the Cuban rhythms of Kandela Mi Son – keeping the hop alive!

Full moon fever

Myths, madness and many a major party have been inspired by the beautiful Ibiza full moon – known as ‘luna llena’ here in Spain – and last week’s lunar spectacular saw an entire l-o-n-g weekend of special events devoted to it!

1. You can blame absolutely anything on the full moon. Want to go on a three-day party bender? Don’t blame it on the sunshine. Want to stay indoors and hibernate, a three-day True Blood marathon perhaps? Don’t blame it on the boogie. Want to kiss a random stranger on the beach? You know who to blame!

2. The full moon is visible from almost everywhere on the island. Obviously it’s best witnessed from the beaches – especially on the east coast, where you can watch the moon rise majestically from the sea – but the beauty of living on such a small island with no high rise complexes means there are full moon happenings taking place all over Ibiza, from rooftop bars and terraces to beach bars, restaurants and fashion shows. All the more reason to go out, my dears…

3. Speaking of going out… we don’t just have full moon parties – we have full moon rising parties too! Which means a day-to-night party schedule of course, just the way we like it! Keep your eyes peeled on the all-new White Ibiza Summer Diaries for news of the next full moon parties… or type ‘full moon’ into the search function et voila! Your Ibiza full moon party schedule at your fingertips.

4. The freaks come out! Admit it – the full moon is the perfect excuse to embrace your inner weirdo (or werewolf, all you Twi-hards out there!) or in the very least, indulge in some serious people watching as others do! The word lunatic is derived from lunar you know – there is some method to this madness – and there’s no better place to check out Ibiza’s characters than Circo Loco at DC10 when the full moon falls on a Monday!

5. Everyone looks better under the light of the full moon. Far more effective than any make-up (or – gasp – surgery!), the moon makes us look younger, our skin glow and eyes sparkle… which means it’s the perfect excuse to go on a date! My favourite place for a full moon romantic dinner has to be Amante, proudly presiding over the bay of Sol d’en Serra with uninterrupted views of the full moon rising. Hint, hint!

6. According to folklore, oysters are bigger at full moon time… so what better excuse than to tuck into half a dozen (or more!) at El Chiringuito on Es Cavallet? Hmmm, and they’re a renowned aphrodisiac too – see above for an even better full moon date!

7. Still on the food tip, ‘they’ say that everything picked, farmed or caught at full moon is at its full taste potential, from herbs (of any variety, wink wink!) and fruit to fish. In fact, my good friend Dr Google tells me that it’s everything within a three-day window of the full moon (before and after) that falls into this category, which explains the recent spate of full moon parties spanning an entire long weekend. Ibiza restaurants, here I come!