When two of Ibiza's beach institutions close within a week of
each other, you know there'll be some bleary-eyed locals hiding
behind their Linda Farrow Vintage frames over the next few
days.
Cala Jondal hotspot and all-round glam-squad station the
Blue Marlin pulled out all the stops for its closing party last
weekend, with Balearic glitterati, London power players and a
serious dose of Hollywood glamour in the form of a certain Miss P.
Hilton all jostling for pole position on the jumping
dancefloor.
The Blue Marlin has seen one of its most successful summers to
date, with a packed schedule of events and some seriously high-end
joint ventures (Moet, JamBox). Just when you thought it couldn't
get any more on-point, they threw deep house legend and all-round
dancefloor hero Kerri Chandler into the mix to add a heavy dose of
cool to the closing party - an utterly inspired choice.
Blue skies, bright sun, deep grooves and some of the world's
hottest young things - another top score for The Marl and a fitting
end to an epic season.
One week later and a few beaches away, Es Cavallet institution
El Chiringuito played host to Ibiza's finest on Saturday with
Groove Armada headlining a closing party that was literally on the
next level.
Masterminded by the power couple behind El Chiringuito, Jonathan
Thorogood & Olivia Fleury, and executed by Ibiza
party-producers extraordinaire, The Shop, Chiri's last hoorah
was a closing party with a difference - all the proceeds went to
charity.
Groove Armada's Andy Cato is a staunch supporter (and former
member) of the Yorkshire-based 'free music lessons for kids'
initiative, The Doncaster Jazz Association. When the charity
lost its government funding, the Groove Armada boys took it upon
themselves to help out. Cue the mega-party in cahoots with El
Chiringuito and The Shop, where every penny of the proceeds from
the 400-strong lunch was donated to the cause. The guestlist
read like a Who's Who of Ibiza - Bambuddha's John Moon, 365
Production's George Scarbrough & Will Penn (below), Blue Marlin
head honcho Jelle and all the Pacha peeps.
Lunch was languid, delicious and dreamy, but the moment the sun
set and the dancefloor kicked off it was a different story - wild
abandon was the order of the day and judging by the number of yummy
mummies there sans les petites, it was also pretty clear that
Saturday was a profitable day to be a babysitter in Ibiza.
Two brilliant goodbyes in the space of a week. Hasta la
proxima - we'll miss you guys x