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Christmas & New Year in Ibiza - the best things to do
The festive season is now well and truly upon us!
With a buzzing atmosphere and a host of activities and events taking place during the holiday season, Ibiza is always a dazzling location to spend Christmas and New Year. As the sun continues to shine its magic across the island, Ibiza brings a relaxed yet joyful ambience, seamlessly blending tradition with sophistication.
At Christmas time Ibiza transforms into a winter wonderland with glittering lights adorning the island’s main streets and shopping areas. Experiencing much milder temperatures than other parts of Europe, the holiday season provides the perfect opportunity to fall in love with the island’s festive charm. Whether you plan to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends, or hit the town and party hard, Ibiza is an amazing location for the grown-ups and little ones alike. Across the island you’ll find eclectic club nights, traditional fiestas, Christmas markets and activities in towns decorated with Christmas lights. Dine at cosy restaurants, or listen to live music spilling out over a busy square and soak up the exciting atmosphere and colours.
When the time comes to ring in the New Year, you’ll find celebrations across the island. New Year is called 'Año Nuevo' in Spanish and New Year's Eve is 'Nochevieja', so watch out for any advertised events with these names. While New Year’s Eve is a core date in the Ibiza party calendar, the Spanish also traditionally celebrate on January 6th, the 'Día de Reyes' or Three Kings Day with a feast, so you’ll also find some elaborate events and traditional parades and festivals well into the beginning of January.
Here’s our guide to the top things to do over Christmas and New Year in Ibiza.
Worth knowing
This is only a selection of events going on in Ibiza during the festive season. For a full round-up, check out our Events Calendar.
Festive markets
The Vara de Rey Christmas Market is a popular Christmas-time staple on this picturesque square in Ibiza Town. With a plethora of stands you can be sure to find a variety of treasures to fill your Christmas stockings. The stalls entice visitors with alluring scents, flavours and sensations, and boutique stands sell everything from handicrafts to jewellery. You’ll find street artists dotted around and Father Christmas also makes an appearance to treat the children on Christmas Eve. The market runs for the whole month throughout the daytime and the evening.
Christmas markets and traditional festivities are also held in other towns around the island, so you can take a tour to find all your Christmas gifts and enjoy the various entertainments.
At Las Dalias in San Carlos, you’ll find original gifts, clothing, crafts, tasting of local produce and various workshops, as well as live music and DJs.
In San Antonio you’ll also find a Christmas market full of stalls selling beautiful crafts and traditional sweets, among other traditional products and festive performances and activities are on offer.
Christmas fairground
Ibiza caters very well for children at Christmas, with several merry activities taking place throughout the island. The annual festive fun fair lights up the fairground area of Can Misses on the edge of Ibiza town during the festive period. Open all day and into the evening, it’s perfect for kids, families and the young at heart. The plethora of rides, games and food stalls entices large crowds from all around. The classics can all be found, including the dodgems, the viking boat, the merry-go-round, trampolines and game booths. Take a break from all the fun to fuel up on hot dogs, candyfloss, hot chocolate and churros.
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is a key date in the Ibiza party calendar, almost as anticipated as its opening parties, and it never disappoints. After a busy summer of dancing, it is time to do it all over again, with the crowds flocking back for a wild couple of days partying in Ibiza’s best superclubs and bars. There are always some excellent options, with clubs competing to get the best DJs and sets for this date. Keep an eye out on the clubs socials during the month of December to find out the details and secure your ticket.
New Year’s Day
If the festivities have left you in need of rejuvenation, Ibiza has the perfect solution as, on New Year’s Day, an unofficial tradition takes place on one of the island’s most iconic beaches, Las Salinas. Running now for a number of years and kicking off at 12:00, residents and holidaymakers come together to take a dive into the sea. The New Year dive is hosted by the wine experts, Vino & Co, who also prepare a picnic and wine for sharing amongst those that braved the waters.
Three Kings Day
One of the great things about visiting Ibiza in the holiday season is that celebrations continue until the 'Día de Reyes' or Three Kings Day. Although this public holiday takes place on January 6th, much of the festivities take place the day before, for the 'Noche de Reyes', or Night of the Kings. On this evening, families and friends excitedly line the streets to get a glimpse of grand parades, led by horses and lavish floats. The biggest procession takes place in Ibiza Town and Marina, but additional parades also take place in Santa Eulalia, San Jose and San Antonio, so you can celebrate across the island.
