Sign up for IQ Index
The latest industry news to your inbox.
Ibiza's 2020 season is still on hold, as the Balearic Islands’ government declines to follow the rest of Spain in restarting nightlife
By IQ on 10 Jun 2020
The world-famous nightclubs of Ibiza will remain closed for the foreseeable future, even after being granted permission to reopen by the Spanish government, local authorities have announced.
‘Phase three’ of Spain’s post-coronavirus reopening plan began on Monday (8 June), with clubs and bars allowed to reopen at a third of their capacity and with a maximum of 80 guests. This follows phase two – under which capacities were limited to 50 people indoors and 400 outdoors – which ran from 25 May to 8 June, and during which a number of live events, including several open-air concerts, took place.
However, under Spain’s federal decentralised, quasi-federal structure, the country’s various autonomous communities are entitled to set their own timetable for restarting live entertainment. In the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza, clubs such as Pacha, Amnesia, Hï Ibiza, O Beach and Privilege will remain closed for the time being, according to Balearic president Francina Armengol.
“We are not in a position to allow nightlife. It is not a priority”
In a press conference on Sunday, Armengol told reporters that in order to “guarantee safety at all times”, venues in Ibiza, Majorca, Minorca and Formentera will stay closed, further delaying the start of the traditional Ibiza season, which transforms the island into a party mecca throughout the summer.
“We are not in a position to allow nightlife; it is not a priority,” she said, adding that the spike in Covid-19 reinfections in other countries (ie South Korea) has been caused by the reopening of leisure and entertainment, and the “celebration of holidays”. “We will not take any wrong steps,” she explained.
Summer tourism is worth more than €750 to Ibiza. The island will welcome back its first foreign tourists this month as part of a trial scheme for nearly 11,000 Germans.
Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.