Back in 2017 I did a festival style review of the 7 festivals I went to that year. This summer I’ve been to some amazing festivals and events, both abroad/in the UK. As summer sadly comes to an end, there is one week that has stood out amongst them. So let’s talk about the craziest week of this year so far. Barcelona to Ibiza in 7 days…

It was never my original idea to go to Off Sonar and Ibiza back to back. I originally planned Ibiza first, around July just in time for the end of Clockwork Orange weekend. Off Sonar this year had moved to July and by the time I realised they clashed I wanted to book and do both. So I decided to be spontaneous and book my flight from Barcelona to Ibiza.

We landed in Barcelona and had literally a couple of hours to get ready for the first night. Our first night was Ants at Pacha, out of all the events for me it was looking like one of the best line ups. I’d love to be able to say I remember the whole of this night but drinking from 1pm through till pre drinks took its toll on me. This is the night where the catchphrase of the holiday ‘wrecked’ came from… but what I do remember was amazing. For me it was definitely one of the trippiest venues I went to that week, the whole set up of the event was what made Ants such a good night. If I could go back and tell myself this is only the first night CALM DOWN, I probably would but was I ever going to take it easy on our first night in Barcelona? No. So on a few hours sleep we went again… Circoloco Barcelona.

Ants, Barcelona

This was my first Circoloco and it did not disappoint. This year it was held at Poble Espanyol, which is one of the most amazing and picturesque venues I have probably ever been to. Set in an outside courtyard, it was an open spaced dream. On entry we walked through a narrow stoned pathway leading to the main stage. Despite still being pretty drunk and in a messy way from the night before, this was in my opinion one of the best days at Off Sonar. The music was incredible, and now I understand why everyone always says the sets played at Circo are so good. I’m always honest on my blog posts, so my night ended abruptly when I was kicked out for falling over trying to lean against a metal pole (shoutout to my friend Danielle for leaving with me and putting up with annoying drunk Kath). Regardless of that as far as first experiences go Circoloco was pretty incredible, beats all day in the sun with my girls is not a bad way to spend a Thursday.

Circoloco, Barcelona

Onto Solid Grooves… I’ve been to a few events that grooves have put on back in the UK, which have all been great. This is why when I saw they were putting on an event at Sonar I was so excited. What sets Off Sonar apart from other festivals abroad is the range of venues. Go Beach Club was the most beautiful space and the perfect place for Grooves to host their day into night event. It was open aired next to a motorway with a pool splitting the two dance-floors apart (yes I did jump in at about 10pm with my shoes still on). This was my last night in Barcelona, so the plan was to go easy & go home early. Despite having a flight early the next day, there I was still sitting in VIP chatting shit and drinking at 5am. This was in a way the perfect end to funniest, craziest and most fast paced few days in Barca.

Solid Grooves, Barcelona

If you looked up ‘Rough’ in the dictionary you’d see a picture of me sat in Ibiza airport on 2 hours sleep eating pineapple from a plastic carton. Booking my flight to meet my friends at the airport seemed like a great idea, until delays happened and I was sitting there for over two hours contemplating my life. I haven’t spoken about it much on my social media and at the time I hadn’t gotten my results back from the doctor. A couple of weeks ago I got the news that I tested positive for Celiac Disease. Every-time I tried to eat in Barcelona I would bloat, and I was in so much pain. My solution was just not to eat, living on a diet of a banana/packet of crackers here and there. So as well as the massive hangover, whenever I tried to eat my stomach was rejecting any food.

It was a hit and miss whether I would make it to Clockwork Orange at Amnesia, but the whole point of me leaving Barca early was to make the end of Clockwork Orange weekend. This was the first all dayer on the terrace, my first EVER night in Ibiza and my first EVER time at Clockwork, so I pulled myself together and off we went. Clockwork Orange was the most incredible event, the music, the people, everyone was just so happy to be there. I have always said I can go to an event sober, if the music is good, I don’t need anything else. So I did what not a lot of people can say they’ve done, I did a night in Ibiza sober. Looking back I get slightly angry at myself for not pacing myself more in Barca. On the other hand, I enjoyed the night more, I remember all the music, I remember dancing with my best friend, being able to hold conversations with people and remembering it all. I’m glad in a way I got to experience Amnesia like that and now I can’t wait to go back.

Clockwork Orange, Ibiza

After nursing myself back to health (three trips to the buffet & laying on a lounger all day) it was Circoloco round two. We got picked up by a worker we knew, and he turned up in a pink open top jeep. We laughed at first but driving through the mountains and hills of Ibiza with no roof was honestly breathtaking.The parts of this night I enjoyed most were in the garden, where I heard my favourite song by DJ Koze ‘Pick Up’ play. I had seen the Martinez Brothers and some of the people playing at Circo that night in Barca already. So for me I just wanted to enjoy my first ever experience of DC10 in Ibiza. Anyone that’s been to DC10 will understand how much of a sweat box it is. I still don’t get why a room that is expected to hold so many people wouldn’t be bigger. In the end the shoving and pushing, resulted in half of us going home. I loved DC10 and I loved Circoloco, but when it gets to the point I have no room to dance it’s home time. 

Circoloco, Ibiza

There’s a lot of events that are on my list to go to in Ibiza, Bodyworks has never really been one of them. Which is funny because our last night at Hi for Bodyworks were where some of my favourite moments of the week took place. Throughout most of the week a lot of the events had been techy beats, so it was actually a nice change going to Bodyworks. By this point I was a broken woman, my voice was gone and I had 0 energy. We went to Jet apartment for pre drinks, and despite feeling like I was dying the group of people I was with kept me going, keeping me excited for the night. Hi is definitely one of my favourite clubs in the whole world. The lights, the venue layout, there was enough room to dance but it was still busy and packed. I remember dancing with my friend Lauren and being so grateful to be at this event in Ibiza. It sounds stupid, but for a while I didn’t think I would be able to enjoy raves again. I remember my mum telling me her stories from the time she spent in Ibiza. Well there I was in Ibiza 33 years after my mum, independent, carefree and happy.

Bodyworks, Ibiza

I ended my time on that beautiful island going for food with everyone at Mambos. Thankfully by not overdoing it at Bodyworks, I managed to eat a full meal in a proper restaurant for the first time that holiday. Spending my last few hours in the sun with some of my best friends, I felt like I could have stayed in Ibiza forever. Before we left to go to the airport I sat on the rocks of Mambo for a while, I felt at peace and I can honestly say it’s probably the happiest I’ve felt this year. At the same point in time during 2018 was around when depression had started to take over and dictate my life. So I now appreciate every little moment of happiness and those two trips were filled with so many of them.

Mambos, Ibiza

So Barca to Beefa… it’s truly a week I will never forget, from the people I met, the sets I saw, feeling so carefree, it was one of the best times of my life. The only thing I would probably change, is telling myself to go home at Solid Grooves or book a later flight to meet my friends in Ibiza. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, and sometimes the experiences in life wouldn’t be the same if we always picked the right option. I’ve learnt that it’s important to enjoy your nights, but I always want to make sure I’m okay, that I don’t have to lay in bed for the whole of the next day. Making the most of the days in the sun with my friends is just as important as the events themselves. 

We live & we learn through picking the wrong option, staying up too late, going that little bit too crazy, and to be honest that’s okay because we will only be this young once.