True Ibiza was an island of escape and freedom, it was a laidback, libertarian lifestyle, a place where you could recreate yourself. Ibiza used to have a true ‘spiritual vibe.’ But why? Ibiza was so far off the map, that in the 1800s and early 1900s it was a poverty-stricken island that relied on only fishing, farming and salt for its livelihood. The Spaniards didn’t it give it any attention because it was so poor and secluded. The overlooking of Ibiza was a gift in disguise. By the 1960s, a good number of hippies, artists and writers escaped to Ibiza to avoid the repression of mainland Spain. It because a free bohemian oasis. Those days have long past and since then the island has been commercialized. However, this free-spiritedness is still somewhat represented on the island through small, more commercialized events, such as the hippy market at Las Dalias. If you’re looking for a trip down memory lane, this is the spot.
Las Dalias is located in the area of San Carlos in the Santa Eulalia area or neighborhood of Ibiza. Santa Eulalia is known for its family-friendly atmosphere and is a quieter more relaxed side of Ibiza. San Carlos became famous in the 1960s as a mecca for hippies, attracting peace lovers from around the world. Many of them moved here and lived in the old farmhouses, or fincas, in the surrounding area. Hence, why Las Dalias hippy market was born here.
You can visit Las Dalias hippy market any time of day depending on your mood. If you’re looking for the big day market, that takes place on Saturday between 10AM – 8PM. On Saturday’s, Las Dalias can see up to 20,000 visitors in one day! If you’re looking for a more culled version with only about 120 stalls, in 2005 the night market begun which takes place on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday from 7PM to 12:30AM. Pat and I visited Sunday night.
As soon as we step into the guarded walls of Las Dalias, I am enamored by all the colors. You no longer need to pay a fee to attend Las Dalias hippy market, but if you come by car, you will have to pay about for parking. It’s worth it though!
The market began Valentine’s Day, 1985 with 5 stalls. Today, Las Dalias market is a lively weekly market with over 300 stalls on Saturday and 120 for the night markets, each offering a diversity of colors and smells. You can find everything from cut-rate beads, leather bracelets, bongs, expensive silk lingerie, dresses, tarot readings, and more is available for purchase. There are restaurants and street vendors selling food and alcohol. It literally feels like you’re diving into the past and reliving the, now a bit more modernized, Ibizan hippy era.
The heart of the hippy market is the huge outdoor garden strung with twinkling lights while people below dance on the open dance floor. The music was chill electronic, but with more of a hippy vibe.
Pat and I take the time to walk through all the different stalls, taking the time to admire everything around us. There were some very unique stalls that caught my eye…to name a few:
Another thing that took me by surprise and I couldn’t make sense of was this, what looked like a witch, walking around blowing incense into people’s faces and doing what looks like casting spells. This hysterical video of a young girl completely freaked out about what’s happening sums it up best.
As we continued to wander around Las Dalias hippy market, I cast my eye on a set of wooden-like headbands sold by Kumbia Ibiza. All items sold at Kumbia Ibiza are handmade by artisans in the Colombian Atlantic, specifically mothers who receive a fair and decent wage, using traditional indigenous techniques. The color is given by flower pigments. Purchased the yellow one right on the spot and still wear it often today!
We were hungry so decided to stop for some seafood paella. It’s served out of a huge communal pot and cost a very modest 10 euro. You grab a table and a drink and enjoy your food surrounded by the beating heart of Ibiza. As people zoom around you shopping, singing, laughing, drinking, you almost feel like you’re in Times Square from how tightly packed everyone is around you.
I couldn’t find any local desserts in Las Dalias hippy market, so I went to Las Dalias cafe right next to it to get some. It’s open everyday from 9AM – 12AM and has a more urban cool bar vibe to it. It was my last night in Ibiza, so I had to have another local delicacy. We ended up getting greixonera, a traditional Balearic dessert made with leftover ensaimada, a sweet-spiral shaped pastry. Honestly, it tasted like bread pudding and was not my favorite local Ibizan food, but at least I tried it. My favorite still had to be either the bocadillo or the flaó or cafe caleta.
While we were eating our 11:30PM dessert and drinking a digestivo – some hierbas and a whiskey – a guy walked up to us and gave us 2 free tickets to what they said was the club hidden inside Las Dalias. We were so confused. Giving out free tickets? It must not be that popular then. What we didn’t realize is that actually, if you dine at Las Dalias cafe on Saturday and Sunday and spend over 30 euro per person, you get free entry to Akasha. We didn’t spend 30 euro per person, but they still gave us 2 free tickets. While we were tired and we were leaving for Italy the next morning…we were so close to midnight, so figured we would wait and go check it out.
The place was super cool. It was small and intimate and the vibes were actually much more up my alley than any other big super club in Ibiza. My only one problem was that the strobe lights were way too much. Pat and I actually had to close our eyes because we felt like we were going to have a stroke from how much they were changing and spasming. But if it hadn’t been 1AM and we didn’t have to catch a 7AM flight the next morning to Milan, and if the strobe lights hadn’t been that jarring, we likely would’ve stayed at this club and made this one our “Ibizan clubbing experience.” I’m not big into electronic super club music with hoards of people, so this more mellow, vibey and hippy like club was perfect for us.
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