It is a huge milestone in Ibiza this summer as Cafe Mambo celebrates 25 years of sunsets and parties in 2019.

Opened in 1994 by Javier Anadon, Cafe Mambo has truly become one of the iconic bars in Ibiza.

Even from its early days the vision Javier had for what was 4 small derelict houses was forward thinking to say the least.

Javier had come to the island in 1976 along with his girlfriend, now wife, and worked in several establishments in San Antonio enjoying the vibrant bars the music and the multicultural mix of Spanish, British, Dutch and Swedish people.

In 1984 they opened their first venture Bucanero in San Antonio Bay which is classed as the original party bar in Ibiza and set the pace for the next few years.

By the early 90s the package holiday industry was booming, the Super Clubs of Ibiza were firmly established and Space which opened in 1988 was getting into its stride.

The dance culture had come to Ibiza and with the release of Energy 52’s Cafe del Mar track and video in 1993 the wonder of Ibiza beaches, countryside and coastline were bounced onto TV screens across the world.

It seemed to be one of those right place right time moments for Javier who opened Cafe Mambo in 1994 just up from Cafe del Mar which had been open for the previous 14 years and was the home of the Balearic Beat.

Mambo’s arrival was timed to perfection the popularity of the Balearic beat brought hundreds of party-seeking holidaymakers to the Sunset Strip to witness its incredible sunsets all to the soundtracks of Café Del Mar and now Mambo too.

Within the dramatic rise in Ibizas popularity, it didn’t take long till Mambo held its first live radio broadcast for Kiss FM and in 1995 Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez rocked up for the first Radio 1 Ibiza Weekenders.

With its more upbeat sound and a close connection to the Super Clubs of Ibiza Mambo found a niche marketing ploy by hosting pre parties at the venue.

The story goes (this is before the days of social media) that unscrupulous promoters on the island would put out a rumour that another promoter’s headline DJ hadn’t arrived and therefore their event was far superior and had the DJs promoted.

To counteract this the original promoter would head down to Mambo with their headline act to do a pre show on the Sunset Strip to prove their act was indeed on the island and would be performing at their event that night.

This meant they would catch the majority of clubbers who would head over beforehand to watch the sunset and relax before going off to the Super Clubs deciding which DJs to go and see.

However the reality may be a little more business like with Cafe Mambo inviting top name DJ’s to play to compete with their neighbour’s Cafe del Mar, either way, it worked and still to this day Mambo hosts pre parties for the likes of Defected, Bodyworks, Armin van Buuren each week throughout the summer.

On our first visit to Ibiza many years ago we fell in love with the ambience and the atmosphere created by Cafe Mambo and the setting sun and it remains to this day one of our favourite places to go each evening.

Our notable highlight was watching Fatboy Slim build the crowd up from on board a yacht moored off the rocks before then swimming ashore to perform at Mambos to literally thousands packed alongside the small DJ booth.

Radio 1 weekend is now a yearly highlight where an incredible line up of acts perform but maybe its the nightly performances by residents Jason Bye, Danny O, Pete Gooding which also stick in our minds.

With literally thousands of sunsets under their belts they seem to be able to judge the mood and setting sun perfectly and there is simply something magical about watching the sun dip beneath the waves at the end of each day with the beats floating out on the evening breeze.

So as Cafe Mambo celebrates 25 years of sunsets we shall be there celebrating with them at every opportunity we can. It truly is an incredible place to experience and share with thousands of others of all ages, all nations all altogether loving the Ibiza life as the sun sets.

The 2019 Cafe Mambo opening party will be held on Friday the 11th May and they will be open daily until mid October. To find out more visit www.cafemamboibiza.com or follow them on social media on Facebook facebook.com/mamboibiza or Twitter @MamboIbiza or Instagram @MamboIbiza.

Pictures courtesy of Cafe Mambo and The White Isle Ibiza