Easter in Ibiza - Culture, clubs & cake

Semana Santa' (or 'Holy Week') is mostly a religious celebration in Spain, and Ibiza is no exception. Most of the festivities take place the week before Easter Monday, starting on Palm Sunday all the way to Easter Sunday, with bank holidays on Thursday, Friday and Monday. There are processions almost every day all around the island. The largest celebration takes place in Dalt Vila (Ibiza Town's historical quarter) on Good Friday, with a huge parade that starts from the cathedral in the evening. This solemn night procession takes all seven cofradías (or brotherhoods) to Vara del Rey. Regardless of where you are or what you are doing, hooded penitents march in almost every village in Ibiza, so you will surely witness this ancient custom if you are on the island this week.

If you want to experience Ibiza's traditions even further, order flaó as dessert. This popular cake made with sheep and goat's cheese was usually prepared for Easter Sunday and has a very distinctive Arabic-style flavour thanks to the mint leaves that are added to the dough. Look out for the "Flaó d'e" label for a truly authentic one. A really delicious ritual!

You can also escape the ceremonies and experience Easter in a more untraditional way. A few of Ibiza's most famous nightclubs and beach clubs are open during the holidays. Beach Clubs also start to liven up during Easter, Jockey Club is open every weekend in the winter during the day and until sunset, while many of the popular nightclubs usually begin their summer season on from late March. So you can party like it's August but without the crowds!

Most of Ibiza's hotels are open during the Easter break and offer special rates. You can choose from urban boutique hotels such as La Torre del Canonigo in Ibiza Town's historic Dalt Vila district, charming rural retreats such as Can Jaume or large luxury beach hotels like Ocean Drive in Talamanca.