Ibiza authorities ban DJs from beach clubs to reclaim beaches from dance music

The San José municipal town hall has told 16 of its most popular beach clubs like Bora Bora and CBBC, among others, that they are no longer allowed to have DJs or live music.

The recent crackdown is an attempt to reclaim the beaches from dance music, as locals and tourists are outraged by the portions of beaches which clubs say is solely for their clients and not open to the public. According to The Ibizan, security at the clubs has been aggressive when dealing with and removing casual beachgoers from these designated areas.

For the clubs this is just the latest in a string of restrictions that have recently been applied to their businesses. Most recently two weeks ago the new Balearic Tourist law was passed, which states that venues can’t relax the laws which are already in place, but they are allowed to make them more strict. One such regulation is that of noise levels, which was recently lowered from 85db to now 65db for next season. Heavy fines are expected for those that do not comply.

With regards to permits and licenses that have already been granted, authorities say they were done so via the central island government, the Consell, and not through the San José local council. Apparently none of the clubs in question have been granted licenses through both municipalities.

The Ibizan says San José government has issued seven ‘you are a restaurant only’ notices in Playa d’en Bossa, two in Cala Jondal, one in Cala Moli, one in Vadella, four in Cala Bassa, and one in Cala Tarida.

Here is how Ibiza changed this year, but expect more changes to be implemented in the future as crackdowns on nightlife continues.

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