Pacha Ibiza: 50 years of the best parties [Magazine Featured]

Congratulations are in order for Pacha Ibiza on its 50th anniversary. That’s fifty years, five decades, and thousands of nights of partying in one of the most iconic venues in Ibiza and the world.

When it opened in the 70s, Pacha Ibiza was a sacred place where people could enjoy music. Pacha Ibiza was one of the first official nightclubs on the white island. The concept of all-night parties in a dark place was still strange to some, but for the bohemian mass that dominated Ibiza, it meant an open-minded and laidback atmosphere where they could enjoy the new trendy genre: house music. Fifty years on, Pacha Ibiza is still a cult venue, one of the hot spots, sought after by many and loved by all, partygoers and artists alike. From the origin of the name, the cherry logo, and the first residencies to this summer’s calendar, We Rave You takes you on a glamorous journey through the 50 years of this revered venue.

The origins

Pacha has been part of the lives of so many generations that we no longer wonder what Pacha means or why cherries are its logo, but we’ll take the mystery out anyway. The origin of Pacha is not in Ibiza but on the mainland, in Sitges. It was there that Ricardo Urgell opened his first club back in the 60s. Ricardo was convinced that he was going to succeed in the nightlife business and therefore become rich as a real pachá (translates into Arabian Prince). The cherries, on the other hand, come from a totally different inspiration. The now iconic Pacha symbol was inspired by the make-up of Carmen Sevilla, a renowned Spanish actress of the time. The logo started to be printed on the propaganda of Pacha parties and underwent many mutations until the design you know today. Conceptually the twin cherries hold the meaning of lust, love and self-indulgence.

But if it started in Sitges, how did it get to Ibiza? At the time, the island was one of the favourite retreats for artists, whether they were painters, actors, writers or musicians. A community open to art and change was growing on an island that didn’t have many musical facilities. At that time, the nightclubs were mostly farmhouses or abandoned buildings that had been converted, but Ricardo Urgell wanted to offer Ibiza a bohemian and glamorous club. House music was taking its first steps in Detroit and the rave scene was springing up in the British Isles. Pacha Ibiza absorbed these musical influences to offer la crème de la crème of dance music.

Image Credit: vallis-clausa via Flickr | License: Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)