Old Skool Ibiza Is Back: 6 Throwback Nights of 80s Disco, 90s Rave & Retro Cool This Week (May 13–17, 2026)
Every May, before the cabanas fill up and the queues stretch out of Playa d'en Bossa, Ibiza throws itself a quiet, glittery little time machine. The island that practically invented the modern superclub has never lost its love for the music that built it — the warehouse-rave euphoria of the early 90s, the sequins-and-strings sweep of disco, the synth-pop neon of the 80s. And for one week in mid-May 2026, that nostalgia takes over San Antonio, Sant Jordi and Ibiza Town in a series of throwback nights that genuinely feel like a portal opening.
If you live here, you already know: this is one of the best weeks of the early season to go out. Crowds are still local-leaning, the bigger rooms haven't hit capacity yet, and a surprising number of these old skool Ibiza nights are completely free. Below are six retro events worth blocking off between Wednesday 13 May and Saturday 17 May, plus a couple of low-key picks if you want to plan the rest of your week around them.
Wednesday: A Free Old Skool Kickoff at Casanova Summum
The throwback week opens loud. Slip Back In Time meets Rave House at CASANOVA Summum in San Antonio Bay turns a 1980s-styled room into a temple for early-90s rave culture, with Clarke & East, the legendary Slipmatt, Jodi, Andy Joyce, Solartrak and The Acid Brothers running through the kind of breakbeat, hardcore and house sets that used to soundtrack warehouses across the UK. Doors from 23:00, entry is free, and the venue itself — all glass blocks, brass and neon — was practically built for this music.
This is also the perfect first stop because Casanova sits walking distance from the rest of San Antonio's nightlife, so once it winds down you can keep moving. Show up early enough to actually hear the warm-up.
Wednesday Alternative: La Discothèque Turns Ten at Pikes
If breakbeat isn't your speed, the same night offers something completely different up in the hills. La Discothèque returns to Pikes Ibiza to kick off their tenth anniversary tour, and there is genuinely no venue on the island better suited to a "razzle dazzle disco party" than the rambling Pikes hotel — the place where Wham! filmed Club Tropicana, where Freddie Mercury threw a party that ended with a flamingo in the pool, and where decadence has always been part of the floorplan. Expect sequins, feathers, mirror balls everywhere and a crowd that has clearly committed to the dress code.
Doors at 23:00, free entry, and yes — the rumours about the courtyard tables are true. Get there before midnight if you want to claim one.
Thursday: When Alex P, Dream Frequency and SL2's DJ Pals Take Over Ibiza Rocks Bar
The Slip Back In Time takeover continues to Thursday with Slip Back In Time x We Love Ibiza at Ibiza Rocks Bar in San Antonio. The lineup reads like a 1995 Mixmag cover: Alex P, Matty Robbo, Dream Frequency, Awesome 3, Jason Fubar and MC Jester. Ibiza Rocks Bar has the right energy for this — small enough to feel like a proper rave reunion, but with a stage and sound system that can do justice to the original PAs.
Tickets are €20, doors at 22:00, and the crowd will be a fascinating mix of British holidaymakers who lived this music the first time round and a younger generation who only know it through TikTok edits. Either way, it's loud, hands-in-the-air and unapologetically fun.
Thursday Bonus: Live 80s Pop & Rock for Free in Sant Jordi
If you'd rather sing along than rave, head inland. At Cas Costas in Sant Jordi, Italian-Ibizan crooner Elio Crispo brings his "I Love the 80's" live show — a full set of pop, rock and synth hits from a decade that, depending on your age, either defined your adolescence or has been re-explained to you by your parents. It starts at 21:00, entry is free, and the venue's open-air patio is one of the most relaxed spots on the island to drink a glass of local wine and let someone else do the singing.
There's also a quieter retro option the same evening at Nassau Beach Club, where the weekly Back to the 80s dinner runs from 20:00 — fine dining with light entertainment themed around the decade. It's a different vibe (table cloths, candles, sea view), but a lovely soft opening if you're easing into the throwback theme.
Friday: Drum & Bass Legends at Itaca Ibiza
By Friday the series shifts down the coast to Itaca Ibiza for Slip Back In Time x Housework, and this is the night for anyone who came up on jungle and drum & bass. The lineup is genuinely heavyweight: Nicky Blackmarket behind the decks (a man who has held a residency in someone's living room, a warehouse, a barn and now an Ibiza nightclub), Darren Jay, Jumpin Jack Frost, SL2 and 2 Bad Mice. If those names mean nothing to you, ask the nearest 45-year-old in a bucket hat to explain — they will be delighted.
Tickets are €20 and doors are 22:00. Itaca's smaller capacity gives this one a proper underground feel, so plan to commit to the room rather than venue-hopping.
Saturday: The White Party Climax at Es Paradis
The whole week builds toward one event: Slip Back In Time: The Famous White Party at Es Paradis, Saturday 16 May from 23:00. Es Paradis is one of the most architecturally striking clubs in Europe — pyramid roof, marble pillars, indoor garden, and the famous fountain that floods the dance floor at sunrise — and white-party night is when it looks its absolute best. Wear white. Everyone wears white. The DJs play classics and rarities. The fountain flows. The sun comes up over San Antonio harbour and you realise you've been dancing for six hours.
Tickets start at €40, which is the most you'll pay all week and worth every cent. This is the only event of the six where you should genuinely book in advance.
How to Plan Your Throwback Week
A few practical notes from people who've done this circuit before:
Pacing matters. Doing all six nights back-to-back is a rookie move. Pick two midweek and the Saturday finale — your knees will thank you.
San Antonio is your hub. Four of the six events are within a 15-minute taxi ride of each other in San Antonio and Sant Antoni Bay. Stay nearby and you can walk most of it.
Free entry doesn't mean free drinks. The Pikes, Casanova and Ibiza Rocks Bar nights have no cover charge, but bar prices are normal Ibiza levels. Pre-load with a tapas dinner.
Buses run until 02:30 and resume at 06:30. The L3 night bus loops between Ibiza Town and San Antonio. After 02:30, it's taxis only — and on a Friday or Saturday, that can mean a 30-minute wait, so order one through the official Ibiza Taxi app before you leave.
Daytime recovery. Three of these events have a daytime sister activity nearby — Cala Salada is a 20-minute drive from San Antonio for a swim the morning after, and Cova de Can Marçà's cave tour in San Miguel is an air-conditioned, gentle reset for hungover brains.
The bigger summer season opens in earnest later this month, and the headline residencies will start filling every weekend. But there's something special about mid-May in Ibiza — the way the island lets its hair down for itself before the world arrives. These throwback nights are exactly that: an island, a generation and a sound that built it, all reuniting in the same week.
See you on the dance floor. White outfit optional, sensible shoes mandatory.
For the full week's calendar — including beaches, boat trips, hippy markets and live music — check the events page on ibiza-calendar.com.