The scale of the undertaking reflects how seriously they are taking the challenge: creative teams from Glastonbury’s famously spectacular Shangri-La and Boomtown have been enlisted to build the full-size facade of the Manumission Motel. Choreographers from London, drag artists from Barcelona, costumes from Milanese designer DiLiborio and the vintage emporium Hol! Ibiza and set builders are all involved, too.
“There will be nothing played from after 1998,” says Mike. “Our aim is to transport the guests to 1998.” That includes the banning of phones. In an age when every experience is documented, it’s a move many promoters pull, but one completely in line with what Manumission has always stood for. While Mike is confident people will embrace it, Claire hopes they will embrace something larger. “People need to be able to get lost and find themselves in weird and wonderful places,” she says.
That sentiment gets to the heart of why Manumission will matter all over again this summer. Because, despite all the changes Ibiza has undergone, the rise of VIP culture, influencer marketing and an ever more professionalised nightlife, the secret desires, kinks and fantasies that powered Manumission all those years ago remain. People still crave spaces where normal rules are suspended, where they can escape the grind and feel something different. “The world has not changed for the better,” says Claire when musing whether the original Manumission would stand up to the socio-political landscape of today. “There was a lot more love and acceptance in our time,” adds Mike. “This is why the world needs Manumission now.”
The enduring appeal of Manumission was never really about the sex shows, the celebrity guests or even the music. It was about the possibility of stepping outside ordinary life and into something stranger, freer and more imaginative. For a few precious hours (or in many cases, days) Manumission delivered that more completely than any other party. Despite that, few have ever tried to replicate the magic. “No one has dared!” laughs Claire. “Too much risk, personally and professionally is involved in doing something like Manumission.” Mike and Claire were never worried about that, which is precisely why Manumission’s return will be every bit as authentic as the original.
Le Weekend Manumission takes place at Pikes, 528 and Ibiza Rocks Bar over the weekend of 25th-27th September.