​Ibiza clubs plead for increased restrictions on unlicensed parties

A group of establishments in Ibiza are pleading with local authorities to implement harsh punishments and increased restrictions on unlicensed and illegal parties.

As reported by Diario De Ibiza, the Leisure Association Of Ibiza, recently issued a statement demanding "greater hardship against illegal parties, a fact that unfortunately is not new on the island.” The Leisure Association Of Ibiza, known locally as La Asociación Ocio De Ibiza, is comprised of 27 venues, including Ushuaïa, Blue Marlin Ibiza, DC-10 and Café Mambo.

In the same statement, the collective thanked San José council “for their determination in these cases”. The municipality recently handed out €84,000 in fines to “owners of different private homes for organizing 'large format' parties that caused significant noise disturbance to the neighbors”.

Most of the unlicensed events in question are villa parties. Last year San José council issued 14 citations to the owners of seven houses and the Leisure Association of Ibiza would like to see more crackdowns: “It seems there is a need for greater commitment on the part of the authorities of the whole island in the fight against the clandestine parties.”

José Luis Benítez, who is the association’s manager, views the villa parties as giving Ibiza a bad reputation because of “prostitution and drugs”, adding “it's time to end this harmful image that is repeated every summer".

Mixmag has reached out from a comment from San José council.

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here