ALL THIS HAPPENED IN IBIZA (PART 2)

By Laura Martínez

Stories that could only happen here.

There’s something about Ibiza that can’t quite be explained. Call it magnetism, charm, sophisticated chaos, or simply freedom. The island has just the right mix of beauty, boldness, and mystery that, for decades, has made it the perfect stage for stories that feel like scenes from a movie. Some are pure legend. Others, one hundred percent real. This is the second installment of our review of events that have already become part of Ibiza’s collective imagination. Get comfortable, pour yourself a cold drink, and get ready to ask: did this really happen in Ibiza?

Julio Iglesias gets denied a table at Las Dos Lunas

It was Ibiza’s golden summer. The nights were endless, Las Dos Lunas was the temple of summer night gatherings, and Julio Iglesias… well, Julio was Julio: the planetary seducer, the crooner of the masses, the man who could turn every wink into a promise of eternal love. But not even all his charm was enough that night when he showed up, without a reservation, at the island’s trendiest restaurant.

Massimo Lucarini, owner of Las Dos Lunas and a textbook Italian gentleman, already had him on his radar. They had met some time ago, at a gathering among mutual friends, and Julio had made a gesture—of which Massimo never gave details—that didn’t sit well with the Italian. So when Julito showed up with his shirt unbuttoned, his golden tan, and his irresistible smile, Lucarini looked him in the eyes and said a phrase the singer wasn’t used to hearing: “Sorry, we’re full.”

Was there a table? Probably. Could he have made an exception? Of course. Did he want to? Not a chance. Because here in Ibiza, not even the king of ballads is spared if he doesn’t play it straight. Las Dos Lunas hosted everyone from the King Emeritus to Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson, or Valentino. It was sacred territory. And in temples, there are rules.

In short, more than a "truan"… you have to be a gentleman.

Freddie Mercury’s 40th birthday: the madness that lives on

If there’s one party that has gone straight into the annals of Ibiza’s history, it’s Freddie Mercury’s 40th birthday celebration. It was 1986, at the legendary Hotel Pikes, that rock-souled hideaway where excess was the rule and discretion, a virtue. Tony Pike, its founder, had a friendship—maybe more than that—with Freddie, and the Queen frontman was never just another guest. Pikes became his home on the island.

The party was enormous. Hundreds of bottles of champagne, outrageous costumes, go-gos, performances, confetti, pure madness. Part of the blowout also moved to KU, the nightclub that at the time was the center of the nightlife universe. There were fireworks, a giant cake, and a spectacle that would make today’s festivals blush.

The most incredible thing is that the night never really ended. Every year, Freddie’s spirit is still present at Pikes, where his birthday is celebrated as if he were still among us, singing at the top of his lungs and drinking the night away. His room, number 6, is now Freddie’s, a club within the hotel where wild Rock Nights parties are held. If you go, be prepared—anything can happen.

Disco Ibiza Locomía: fans, shoulder pads and the birth of a phenomenon

Before they were a boyband, before they became ‘90s karaoke staples, Locomía were just a group of wild young men living together in a house on Calle de la Virgen, more eager to express themselves than to conquer the charts. It was the mid-’80s, and the island was a boiling pot of creativity, freedom, and impossible fashion—so they set out to invent something new.

Their looks, somewhere between baroque and futuristic, were pure statement: giant shoulder pads, boots, bare chests, and of course, the fans they waved to the rhythm of techno-pop. It wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was a lifestyle. Locomía was born in Ibiza, on KU’s nights, where they began performing almost spontaneously and ended up hypnotizing the crowd. Then came the manager, the contract, global fame… but their DNA remains purely Ibizan.

Beyond their hits, Locomía represents a glorious chapter of the freest, most performative and provocative Ibiza. The kind that didn’t ask for permission or give explanations. The one that still lingers every summer, between parties and sunrises.

So yes, all this happened in Ibiza. And there’s still more to tell. See you in the next installment. Because on this island, reality always beats fiction.