As Soon As the Sun Sets in Spain…
The night owls are dancing until the early hours. With its sultry summer nights and bustling nightlife, there’s a party to be found every night in Spain. Of course, you can also sit on a terrace along the lovely boulevard with a nice glass of wine, visit the cinema or enter a quiet bar, but big parties, casinos and luxurious lounge clubs are also part of the scenery here now.
Exciting parties with dance, techno and house music are mainly organised in the big cities and on the Balearic Islands such as Ibiza and Mallorca.
The nightlife on the mainland
Barcelona
If you are looking for big, trendy clubs, then Barcelona is the place for you. Often, there is no set entrance fee, but it is determined by who is playing the music that night and how popular the evening will be. If you are having a drink in advance, you will encounter people on the street who are handing out flyers to promote these parties and clubs.
Barcelona has enough well-known clubs which promise an unforgettable evening: for 80s hits and Indie music, the Magic Club is a good place to visit, while as a techno-lover you can visit the Macarena Club, and for house you can go to the Boulevard Club. The most famous club in Barcelona is Razzmatazz, where different types of music are played. And, if you are looking for an open-air summer party, keep an eye out for the La Terazza Club. Here, too, several bands are played, and summer hits are a popular choice of music.
Madrid
Madrid has a very varied music scene where, besides techno and house, you can also find a lot of top 40 music, live bands, soul and jazz. You can literally party until the early hours here, as many parties only start at midnight. If you want to visit these clubs until about six in the morning, make sure you are dressed ‘smart casual’. One of the most famous clubs in Europe where they play house music is Club Joy. For 70s hits and funk music, El Sol is a good option, while you can go to the Palacio Gaviria for pop, dance and R&B.
Lloret de Mar
The most well-known town for going out on the Costa Brava is Lloret de Mar. Along the more than 7 km long beach, you will find the best clubs and bars of the town. The nightlife in Lloret de Mar is often a lot quieter and less hectic compared to some of the party islands, which is why many people find it a more pleasant place to go out.
There are a few pubs (which are generally cheaper than the clubs), casinos and a Russian club which is popular with the older people. If you would like to experience a relaxed atmosphere in Lloret de Mar, then do not miss the St Trop discotheque. It is one of the most popular discos, and consists of three levels with three big dance halls. Here, you are dancing to different styles of music among more than 3,000 people, while enjoying a spectacular light and laser show.
The Revolution discothèque also has a fantastic light and laser show, and is therefore also a much-loved club, especially if you like trance. Bumper’s discothèque has something very special to offer. Under the glass dance floor, fish are swimming in an aquarium, while after dancing you can recover in a tropical garden.
The nightlife on the Balearic Islands
The party island of Ibiza
I probably don’t have to tell you much about Ibiza. This true party island is known for its extravagant and bustling nightlife that attracts thousands of international partygoers each year. There are several ‘superclubs’, which for many young people are ‘the place to be’. Privilege, for instance, is a huge club the size of a football field and can receive over 10,000 visitors. The club organises weekly party nights, but these will cost you a lot of money. To save money, you can first go for a drink in one of the many bars, where you pay far less for a drink, and then dance the night away in one of the many clubs.
Maybe, like me, you get a bit anxious when you think of thousands of visitors in one place. Don’t discard Ibiza immediately if that’s the case. It is a beautiful island which also has a quiet side. If you would like to book a holiday home and enjoy the beautiful beaches and green surroundings, then that is also possible here. For a relaxing holiday, you have to go to the north of the island. Here, you will find the beautiful, sandy beach of Cala Xarraca, surrounded by rocks and with a sea of several different blue colours. There is one restaurant where you can eat well and linger after dinner, and afterwards you can go for a beautiful walk along the beach.
Parties on Mallorca
Mallorca is another island known for its bustling nightlife. It can be divided into three parts: the German (Playa de Palma), the English (Magaluf) and El Arenal (Dutch). In El Arenal, you will meet the most Dutch people. You have to pay an entrance fee for the clubs, but you can dance until about 4 in the morning. If you don’t fancy going home at 4, you can stay out until 6 in Club Veronica. This is an underground club and one of the nicest places to go out on Mallorca.
Although the island is very busy, there are also undiscovered gems free from mass tourism. There are enough hotels and holiday homes to be able to find a quiet spot and enjoy nature.
You can see that, actually, everyone can go for a night out in Spain. If you want to keep it quiet, then you can go to a terrace; if you want to dance the hours away, you can look for a nice club. Just keep in mind that sometimes there is a dress code, and you are ready for an unforgettable night!
