Does hippy Ibiza actually still exist?

Each summer the doom-mongers come out in force to remind us that Ibiza is nothing more than a commercialised caricature of it’s former self, a slightly offbeat Balearic satellite orbiting ever closer to the black hole of established culture. The age-old hippie mentality that once made the White Isle a safe haven for conscientious objectors and oppressed minorities of every persuasion has lost its soul, they say. Lord save us, might the pessimists be right?

In an age of rampant dance music consumerism, chrome-plated 5-star hotels and 22€ mojitos, it seems fair to ask the question: does hippie Ibiza actually still exist? Sometimes you do wonder. After all, most of the island’s free beach parties have been quashed, David Guetta doesn’t wear his hair long anymore and the general ambience of countercultural artistry and activism that used to hang like a dissident pine fragrance on the Mediterranean breeze has been replaced by the giddy gimcrack hum of mass tourism.

But wait! What if the doom-mongers are nothing more than a crew of crusty old clubbers who couldn’t keep up? And what if, just beneath the superclub surface of the world’s summer party capital, the original hippie vibe that made Ibiza an essential rite of passage for the flower power children of the late ‘60s still exists, regardless of all shock-and-awe strobe lighting and super-hyped VIP fanfare?

“Hippie Ibiza absolutely still exists,” argues Monika Kruse. “Last year during my stay in Ibiza, I went to a hippie jam session at a private house. It was an open house; there were instruments for sharing and about 30 people jamming, kids dancing. There was no alcohol – although there was lots of hemp tea – and it was one of my best Ibiza moments to date. For my next trip, I’m looking forward to having a reiki session with Trish from Soul Adventures. She’s based up in the north of the island and I’ve heard great things about her.”

Pacha headliner Martin Solveig also cites the north of the island as a bastion for hippie life. “From the north of the island to Cala Escondida, the hippie scene spreads and peaks with the sunset celebrations at Benirrás. The hippie market also has some local artisans and some not so genuine, also it's a pain to access at high season. I prefer the local market at the San Jordi hippodrome. These places have become curiosity spots and attract a lot more people than the local hippies. But Ibiza is actually all about that, the mix of people who would never cross paths if they weren’t in Ibiza. It's one of the things I love most about the island.”

Denney is another big fan of the hippie markets. “The hippie markets in Es Cana and Las Dalias are definitely worth checking out,” he explains. “Benirras is also a hippy haven. And if you're up for a mission, the infamous Atlantis is a great place to go and get away from the madness. A wicked party to check out is Wax Da Jam at Las Dalias. Built around a total hippy vibe, it’s guaranteed to be a great night out.”

Right now, the psychedelic atmosphere at WooMooN at Cova Santa is generating rave reviews. “There’s a movement of music that goes hand in hand with the so called hippie crowd,” says WooMooN regular YokoO. “Rather than steroids and high heels, the crowds at WooMooN are far more enticing to watch, draped in cottons and tassles and hemp, smiling at each other, open and warm, expressing their love and dancing with happiness. They are free spirits, loving, conscious, caring, healthy party goers. At such events these beautiful qualities are expressed, as opposed to some of the bigger commercial events out there, where people tend to be more ego driven and self-destructive. But at the same time, the old true hippies have mostly left Ibiza now. Most of them couldn’t afford the rates that are being charged for accommodation, food, drinks, or even the cover charge to get into a party. So heralds the age of the champagne hippie. Youth that adopt the bohemian appearance, yet upon scratching the surface of their temporary tattoos, you find money, but nothing very substantial in comparison. Even so, to those with open hearts, I know Ibiza definitely has something magical to offer.”

When we spoke to Cream promoter Nick Ferguson, he also mentioned the rise of the champagne hippie. “Hippie Ibiza vanished many years ago when Ibiza became mainstream, commercialised and turned into a money-making machine and a brand. There’s no doubt that you can still find little pockets on the island where the history of hippie culture still exists – Benirras on Sundays is a good example. But I do think Ibiza is full of rich hippies, multimillionaires. They like to pretend they’re hippies and live a hippie lifestyle, but they live up in the hills in the most incredible villas and send their children to the most expensive schools. I think it’s all quite contradictory.”

Francesca Lombardo’s outlook is not dissimilar to Nick’s. “Hippy Ibiza still exists,” she says, “but not as much as before. I believe hippies have changed anyway. The hippies that used to dress in loose, cheap, hippie clothes, taking psychedelics, listening to trance music, embracing sex and partying, have now fused with a generation who are not hippies at heart. It’s a new generation of hippie wannabees. But whether I prefer the old Ibiza or the new one it is not relevant; it is what it is and everything needs to change and evolve in life.”

But “…there’s still some escape from all the billboards!” says We Love… cofounder Sarah Broadbent, who is currently employed by Pikes Hotel. “The hippie vibe still exists outside of the mainstream nightclubs at small places like Pikes and Ibiza Underground and some of the smaller beaches that haven’t been inundated with beach clubs. Places where you can hang out without music being blared at you. And oddly enough, even though they were the first club to do the ridiculous amount of VIP, I think you can still find it at Pacha. The problem with VIP culture, in general, is that it separates people. When we first started We Love… at Space there was no VIP. People who were saving up all of their money for the entire year to come to Ibiza were dancing next to some yacht owning princess. Yet everyone was having the time of their lives. That’s what you don’t get at the big clubs anymore. I don’t think it’s just an Ibiza thing; it’s probably more of a global, cultural thing. My opinion has always been that the party is better if we’re all together.”

“Do hippies still exist in this modern ‘Las Vegas’ Ibiza?” asks Balearic Beat aficionado Mark Barrott. “Yes, thank goodness they absolutely do. You see them walking along the road in the summer, selling stuff at Las Dalias, listening to the original spirit and sound of Ibiza at La Torre and living in the caves around Atlantis. They are woven into the fabric of the island and prove beyond doubt that, as with most things in life, its only when you step off the beaten path and dance like no-one is watching that the really good things happen.”

Island natives the Mambo Brothers, aka Christian and Alan Anadón, are also convinced that hippie Ibiza is still prevalent. “You’re more likely to find original hippies from the ‘60s in the north of the island,” says Alan, “living in an old traditional Ibizan house with no electricity and with their own field to grow their own fruit and vegetables.”

“The northern side of Ibiza is so beautiful and so special that it will find you when you are ready to appreciate it,” adds Christian. “You can still find many other places where this spirit exists, but we suggest you let it find you. Until then, leave hidden Ibiza hidden!”

Cream resident Josh Demello has a different take on the same perspective, believing Ibiza’s power has always been its ability to magnetise people who are on the same wavelength. “You don't just turn up on an island miles away from home for no reason,” Josh says. “We all somehow cross paths on the hunt for something. We co-habitat with each other and form amazing little communities dotted all over the island. These communities ultimately bring us all together, mostly with people we've never met before and we tend to experience the most incredible things together. Some of which are awesome; others we do not like at all. But regardless of anything else, we are all brought together in one way, shape or form by a common interest. So with that in mind, I'd say yes, hippie Ibiza does still exist. In recent years, it’s just had a little remix or become a bootleg, that's all!”

Johnny Lee is Mixmag's Ibiza correspondent

Marc de Groot is a freelance photographer and regular contributor to Mixmag