Girls and gay parties…

Last weekend in Ibiza was like the unofficial opening weekend of the Ibiza gay party scene. We had La Troya, Supermartxe, Café Ole and Matinee in all their glittery, shiny, disco-tastic glory, kicking off in the port with some fabuloiusly OTT parades before hitting Amnesia, Privilege, Space and Amnesia (again!).

From super-buffed-and-bronzed bods to diamante-encrusted drag queens, it was a feast for the eyes to be sure, and I couldn’t help but notice it was predominantly the ladies who were getting very overly excited about these events. What is it about Ibiza gay parties (though admittedly many call themselves polysexual) that attracts so many heterosexual women? A quick poll amongst my female friends gave me the following responses:

1. You can dance all night long with reckless abandonment and feel completely safe. No sleazy man is going to grope you or rub themselves up against you as they pretend to be walking past you. In fact, it’s highly likely that no one is even looking at you!

2. You can openly and acceptably gawk at the amazing male specimens on the dance floor and podiums without fear of being busted (or fear of rejection!). From the dance floor participants to the performers, these guys work hard to look this good and our appreciation is appreciated (or so I’m told!).

3. A night out with gay friends can really do wonders for a girl’s self confidence. After all, who doesn’t like being told they look fierce, hot, cute, gorgeous and delicious (insert your favourite superlative here) all night long? We work hard to look this good too!

4. Oh the glamour! The feathers! The footwear! The make-up! The sequins! The sparkle! The shows! The spectacle! Flamboyant, fabulous and above all, fun. Beats the hell out of a bunch of skinny bitches gyrating in next-to-nothing on a DJ booth, if you know what I mean…

5. Apologies in advance for what I know is a generalisation (don’t shoot the messenger!), but who could say no to worshipping at the altar of Madonna? On a one-hour walk through Calle de la Virgen on Saturday night, you can hear her Madgesty pumping across the airwaves in at least six different bars… now I just need to find one that plays Kylie! All night long…

A letter to Luciano

Dear Luciano…

As most readers of my blog know, I’ve been quite an avid follower of yours for some time now (anyone who says I’m a stalker is just exaggerating, honest). In terms of the amount of time I’ve spent dancing while you’ve been in the DJ booth at various venues over the years in Ibiza, we’re probably on an even par. I was the first one to cheer when you made the move to Pacha, I wholeheartedly supported the Vagabundos guy-liner phase, I’m addicted to your parties at Ushuaia and I hang out for Wednesdays just waiting to hear your updates on the Cadenza Podcasts…

But recently, there’s been just a few little things I’ve noticed that I was hoping we could discuss…

1. The pink hair. Could you please explain the significance to me? The transition from the sexiest handlebar moustache back in your DC10 days to highlights a la Katy Perry (who I must admit I also have a fondness for!) is pretty far-fetched. Is it an image makeover (clearly it’s a major part of your image in this year’s cool Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel billboards and flyers)? A fashion-forward leap into the current trend of dip-dying? I’ve heard rumours it’s got something to do with Pink Floyd… but you can feel free to just admit it (between you and me) if it’s just because pink is your favourite colour. You know it’s mine right? In fact, I’m thinking about doing the EXACT SAME THING with my own tresses…

2. The heart symbol. Is it because you’re trying to send me a message when you can’t see me in the crowd that each and every time I see you lately, you’re holding up your hands in a heart symbol? While I totally appreciate the gesture and all, did you know, by doing so you’re also joining the ranks of pop stars – think Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Usher and Katy Perry (there she is again) – all of whom are contributing towards said heart symbol trend becoming as recognisable as the peace sign, according to the New York Times.

3. Your penchance for playing ‘God Made Me Phunky’ and ‘Good Life’. Often together. Now, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE both these songs. They’re feelgood classics that truly make me put my hands in the air every time I hear them and rush for the dance floor if I’m not already there. But… for the sake of your own sanity – aren’t you getting a little sick of hearing them yet? Is there a reason why they always feature in your sets – like maybe they’re your own personal version of a lucky pair of socks or something? When I heard Reboot’s Cadenza Source Podcastrecently, I noted he’d also featured both tracks, albeit chilled out versions and I couldn’t help but wonder… was that an obvious salute to his label boss?

4. Your signature dance. While it’s great to see you having a good time and enjoying the music with a little boogie – by the way I have plans in the works to use it in the choreography for a Luciano flashmob at Ushuaia, hope you don’t mind – aren’t your arms getting a little sore every night? If you’re trying to multi-task and use your time behind the booth as exercise, I’m concerned you’re working yourself too hard… and we don’t want you to have to take any time off like your mate Ricardo Villalobos last year!

Answers on a postcard please! You know where to find me – front and centre every Thursday, Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Club and just by the DJ booth every Sunday night at Cadenza Vagabundos at Pacha!

Love Miss W xx

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!