Summer may be over, but in our heads, we’re definitely still lost beneath the disco ball in Freddies most nights. So, when we were recently asked to make a list of the top 10 parties of the summer, you’d think it would be an easy task, given how much time we’ve spent romanticising the summer, singing the praises of all our special guests and ruminating on all the memories.
In the end, no matter how many polls we took amongst ourselves, it very quickly became apparent that this was a truly impossible challenge! Rather than continue to drive ourselves round the bend trying to narrow it down to just 10, we’ve simply decided to extend the list to 20 – it is for our very own blog after all (and it’s hard not to be biased), and we hope you’ll be just as eager to reminisce as we are. First up, the best events that we hosted ourselves and next week, the top nights that were hosted by our resident promoters. Listed in chronological order, because truly… we just can’t play favourites with our babies!
Pikes Opening Weekend
Friday April 12, Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 15, 2024
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? We opened our (metaphorical) doors earlier than ever in 2024, and rather than ease into the season slowly, we went full steam ahead with a triple header Opening Weekend on April 12, 13 and 14. That first night of the summer is like the first day back at school – we’re excited to see all of our old friends, we’re ready to welcome new team members and new guests into the Pikes fold, and we’re chomping at the bit to get those lasers aimed at the disco ball in Freddies. Based on the rate at which you, our dear friends, RSVP’d to our guest list, you were feeling the same!
Nightmares on Wax officially kicked the weekend off with a bang on the Friday, followed by PBR Streetgang stepping up to the plate on the Saturday night at our first Pikes House Party, then a full day-to-night extravaganza for Sundays at Pikes. You know what they say – start as you mean to go on!
Pikes House Party with Crazy P
Saturday April 27, 2024
There ain’t no party like a Pikes House Party! “Our Pikes House Party was busier than ever, with the likes of Bushwacka!, PBR Streetgang and Waze coming to join our talented residents and The Pikes House Band,” says our dearly beloved Night Venue and Events Manager Nick Sheehy. “It’s safe to say that this party was one that was added to everyone’s holiday to-do list.” While choosing a favourite is always hard, we just can’t go past this truly unforgettable night in April, when Crazy P checked into Pikes and did exactly what they do best – get the crowd grooving with disco-infused beats complemented by Danielle Moore’s soulful live vocals.
Little did we know at the time that this particular Pikes House Party would become such a treasured memory for each and every person that was there, as Dani sadly passed away at the end of August. “The rest of the summer was certainly a tribute to the icon that is Dani,” continues Nick. “She’ll be forever missed, but forever a part of the magic of Pikes.” Vale, Dani – we miss you.
Andy Manumission & Pikes present Mondays with Dave Seaman and Pete Gooding
Monday May 06, 2024
In Mondays we trust! This season, we hosted an all-new night that championed Pikes as a place to embrace the spirit of freedom, the venue where you can step inside and leave your troubles at the door, a beautiful bubble where you can be who you want to be. When Andy Manumission & Pikes Ibiza presented Mondays, we also returned to the ethos of the analog (and halcyon) days of clubbing with a new no-phone policy that eventually became so successful, we implemented it every day of the week.
Pikes is the closest place to a spiritual home to the original Manumission concept in 2024, and our surprise line-ups, our dancefloor, and our atmosphere really reflected that. When the one and only Dave Seaman and OG island DJ Pete Gooding hit the decks on this fateful Monday night, that old Ibiza energy had never been more apparent, embraced by the new Ibiza as two worlds collided. It was a night full of surprises, a night without an agenda and a night for the people. We’d like to tell you more but we’re sticking with our ethos of ‘what happens on a Monday, stays on a Monday’. Or, as the saying goes, if you know, you know!
David Morales Opening
Wednesday May 29, 2024
David Morales is, quite simply, a force of nature. We had no idea what a beast we unleashed (in the best possible way) when we invited him to play an all-night-long set last year, and after that masterclass in NYC house, it was a no-brainer to ask him to spin on a monthly basis in 2024.
While every month was a high-energy, loved-up, hands-in-the-air affair (and let’s just say when the shirt comes off, it feels like anything could happen on that hot and sweaty dancefloor – special shout-out to our very own BLONDEWEARINGBLACK who was dancing front and centre all night long, singing at the top of her lungs when David dropped teased in and eventuall dropped their collab track, Hideaway. Each and every month was a blinder, but it was the Opening Party that blew our minds, as we were reminded yet again how privileged we were to have this absolute maestro in the house, schooling us in the art of music. Bravo David!
Pikes presents… The Blessed Madonna x Kylie
Tuesday July 30, 2024
Since she made her absolutely mind-blowing Freddies debut in 2022, we’ve been desperate to get Marea Stamper – better known as The Blessed Madonna – back in that booth. When planning her almighty return to Pikes in 2024, Marea proposed filming the videoclip for her latest single, On The Edge Of Saturday Night, with a top secret, A-list collaborator and we were more than happy to oblige. You can imagine how difficult it was to keep the secret that our guest was none other than the princess of pop and one of the most famous faces to have ever stayed at Pikes back in the 90s, Kylie Minogue. We zipped our lips as promised, though when Kylie was spotted dancing atop the decks at DC-10 just a few nights before our party, our savvy followers put two and two together – we’ve never seen a guestlist so rammed before.
It was hot, sweaty and packed-to-the-rafters and Marea owned the dancefloor like no one’s business. When ‘Rave Kylie’ (as she came to be known after this night) shimmied into the booth and then dived from the decks into the crowd (the way we’ve always wanted to) as they unveiled their new track, we really thought the roof might blow off. This was one night when what happened in Freddies didn’t stay in Freddies – it was broadcast all around the world (you can watch it here). We should be so lucky!
Pikes presents Fatboy Slim
Thursday August 01, 2024
They say there’s no rest for the wicked, and we must have been particulary naughty as July segued into August because we’d barely swept all the sparkles (definitely not glitter!) off the floor after one Miss Minogue had been spinning around that we had yet another Pikes presents… shindig with another very special secret guest on our dance card. It was Fatboy Slim’s annual visit to Freddies and he’d invited Rita Ora along for a live PA of of Praising You. The atmosphere was electric… ironically, the electricity actually blew the minute Norm stepped into the booth, plunging Freddies into darkness for a few seconds (fortunately we have back-up generator!) before a truly explosive night unfolded.
DJ Harvey is Mercury Rising Opening Party
Monday September 02, 2024
“Welcoming the incredible DJ Harvey back for his Mercury Rising residency… this was a season to remember,” says Nick when asked about Mondays. After a fallow year due to reasons beyond his (and our!) control, the excitement levels at Pikes were at peak levels on the Monday the man, the myth, and our cultural attaché made his eagerly awaited return to Freddies – aka, his spiritual home.
It was everything we’d dreamed of and more, as Harvey took control of the decks all night long. This was one of those nights where we actually had trouble turning the lights on and the music off because we just know, Harvey would probably keep playing all day if we’d let him. Well, we would if we could but you know – we don’t want to get shut down!
Freddie Rocks
Thursday September 05, 2024
It had been a few years since we’d hosted our perennially popular charity event, Freddie Rocks, in celebration of the late, great Queen frontman (and our most famous former guest) Freddie Mercury’s birthday so we knew this one would be one for the books from the minute we announced its welcome return. This year would have been Freddie’s 78th birthday (can you imagine just how fabulous he’d have been?) and once again, we encouraged everyone to get into the spirit of our ‘Freddie For A Day’ dress code with one caveat: NO ‘TACHE, NO ENTRY! Of course, we were on hand to draw them on if any guests weren’t able to grow or stick one on.
In a new twist, this year we hosted a birthday feast that was fit for a Queen, as our chef Tim Payne did a deep dive into Freddie’s favourite flavours to devise a three-course menu that fused Eastern spices with fresh ingredients, with the star dish being Freddie’s absolute favourite dish, a tangy, sweet and tender-spiced chicken Dhansak. First we feasted, then we danced and our special guest DJs and Freddie impersonator did not disappoint! We’re very proud to share the news that we raised a whopping 10.256€ for Mercury Phoenix Trust, the trust founded by Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor alongside manager Jim Beach that raises money to help eradicate HIV/AIDS across the globe. What a man, what a legacy. With hundreds of Freddies still on the dancefloor at 5am, we’re certain you all did him proud.
Sundays at Pikes with Mella Dee & Saoirse
Sunday September 08, 2024
The introduction of Sunday Best daytime sessions to the Sundays at Pikes roster this season saw our weekly day-to-night shindig become even more of a must-visit than ever before. By day, we had Rob Da Bank steering the ship, and by night, the Sundays at Pikes crew collaborated with a host of different DJs, labels and promoters to ensure we all ended the week right… and perhaps started the following week with a hangover!
Yet again, it’s hard to play favourites when each and every Sunday was special in its own way, but when pressed, we can’t go past the second instalment of Melladee’s Nothing Stays The Same takeover with Saoirse joining the Yorkshire-born DJ for an epic deep and groovy B2B. “It’s like an adult playground,” he says. “The sound is sick, Freddies is a proper naughty little room, it’s dark, sweaty, everyone in there’s on a vibe, people are more up for it, it rolls from the days into the night, then people roll over into the rooms! It just keeps moving and doesn’t stop. It’s my favourite room in Ibiza.” Awww… ours too!
Halloween at Pikes: The Haunted Hotel
Thursday October 31, 2024
“We rounded the season off with a Halloween party that just blew us all away,” says Nick. “The production and music were incredible.” If you can find a guest who wasn’t terrified upon stepping over the threshold of The Haunted Hotel on October 31, we’d like to meet them because to be honest… we still can’t be sure that the hotel isn’t in need of an exorcism two weeks later! From the out-of-this-world 3D mapping on the façade of Room 39 to the performers (and guests) that looked like they’d just stepped off the set of a Hollywood horror movie, there was seemingly no end to the grotesque sights and devilish delights of Halloween.
There were ghosts flying through trees, zombies rising up from the dirt, a public glory hole (did you dare?), the Plaza illuminated by levitating candles, a plastic-draped ‘kill room’, circus freaks, and the Day of the Dead dance floor and so much more. In true Pikes style, everything was made even more macabre thanks to our musical line-up: PBR Streetgang, Bushwacka!, Tania Vulcano and Camilo Miranda in Freddies (or Deadies, as it was called for the night), Melon Bomb on the Court of the Dead, Demi Riquismo B2B Lulah Francs and Jaime B2B Ryan O Gorman in Room 39, Jo Mills and Simon Morell B2B For Mankind in the Ghost Town (Sunset Terrace), Lex Wolf and Make a Dance in the Cursed Chapel (Plaza Mayor), OK4RAYGU4 and Luca Averna in the Tub of Doom. One for the 2025 bucket list.
