Ibiza in October: what autumn on the island is really like

Autumn in Ibiza does not start on a set day. It arrives in stages: first the August crowds leave, then the clubs close one after another, and finally the clocks go back and the beach bars stack their chairs for the winter. All of that happens in October, which is why two people who visit a fortnight apart can come home describing different islands.

Two Octobers: before and after the closing weekend

The first eleven days still belong to the season: our calendar lists 114 parties between 1 and 11 October, at 19 venues and boat parties. Everything builds towards the closing weekend, from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11, when most of the big clubs — Hï, Ushuaïa, Amnesia, [UNVRS], Pacha, O Beach and Destino among them — throw a final party and shut until next season. Monday 12 is Spain's national holiday, which turns it into a long weekend for Spanish visitors, so book early. Which club closes on which night is in the closing parties calendar; tickets, prices and getting home, in our closing weekend guide.

Then the island changes gear. From 12 October to 1 November our calendar has 35 parties at just four places: Es Paradis in Sant Antoni, Akasha at Las Dalias, Chinois Ibiza and one boat party. The nights are smaller and cheaper — the median starting price is 25 €, against 40 € in the first eleven days — and the last one is TRIP Closing Party at Chinois on Sunday 1 November. For what is on week by week, see our guide to the clubs open in October.

The weather and the sea in October

October is warm, but no longer reliably summer. The long-term averages that AEMET, Spain's weather agency, publishes for Ibiza airport give a typical high of 24 °C, a low of 16.5 °C and around 205 hours of sunshine in the month. The sea keeps its heat longer than the air, averaging about 22 to 23 °C and cooling as the month goes on, so swimming is still comfortable for most people.

The catch is the rain. On the same averages, October is the wettest month of the year at the airport, if only just: about 58 mm, one more than September, falling on five or six days, with almost three days of thunderstorms. It tends to come in heavy bursts rather than grey weeks — a storm, a wet afternoon, then sun again. Keep boat trips and cliff walks flexible, check the forecast the day before, and pack a light jacket for the evenings.

Sunsets and the clock change

The light is what changes most. In Sant Antoni the sun sets at about 19:38 on 1 October, 19:23 on the 11th and 19:04 on the 24th. Then the clocks go back an hour in the early hours of Sunday 25 October, and sunset jumps to about 18:03 that same day and 17:56 on the 31st.

So the end of the month means short afternoons. A beach day that ended around eight in September now ends before six, and the drive back from the west coast happens in the dark, on narrow roads. Do the long outings in the morning, and if the sunset is the plan, be in place by half past five in the last week.

Beaches and calas without the crowds

This is the reward for coming late. The water is still pleasant, there is room to park near the famous coves, and on a weekday a small cala can be nearly yours. Names that are impossible in summer become easy: Cala Salada and Cala Saladeta north of Sant Antoni, Cala Comte on the west coast, Es Cavallet in the south, Cala Xarraca in the north. Ibiza in September has more, plus the day trip to Formentera. Three things to know:

• Services wind down. Beach bars, sunbed rentals and water-sports stands start closing for the winter, each beach on its own date, so bring water and food rather than counting on a kiosk.
• Pick the sheltered side. After a few windy days the sea can be rough and cloudy on one coast and flat on the other: if the north is choppy, try the south or the east, and the other way round.
• Swim in the warm hours. With the sun lower, the best time for the water is from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Walking weather is back

Summer is too hot for walking here; October is not. With highs in the low to mid twenties, routes that were unthinkable in August become a pleasure, as long as you are back before dark. Three good ones: Sa Talaia, the highest point on the island at 475 metres, above Sant Josep, with the coast of Formentera in view on a clear day; the coastal path between the beaches of Ses Salines and Es Cavallet, inside the natural park, part sand and part rock; and the greener, quieter north around Portinatx and Cala Xarraca. Carry more water than you think, and save the cliff paths for dry days: they get slippery after rain.

Markets: Las Dalias and Punta Arabí

Both big hippy markets carry on into autumn. Las Dalias, on the road from Santa Eulària to Sant Carles, opens at weekends in October and November; its own website gives October hours of 10:00 to 19:00 on Saturdays and 11:00 to 18:00 on Sundays, and its night market is finished until next June. Punta Arabí, in Es Canar, keeps its Wednesday market going from 10:00 to 18:00, and this year the last one is on Wednesday 28 October. Hours can change with the weather, so check before you drive over.

A Saturday at Las Dalias can run into the evening. Akasha, the club on the same site, has a Supernova afternoon party every Saturday in October at 16:00 in our calendar (from 15 €), so you can walk the stalls first and stay on for the music.

Prices, hotels and what closes

Prices are the good news. By early October, hotels and villas already cost noticeably less than in August, and many hotels cut their rates again to fill the last weeks before they close. The trade-off is choice. Most hotels shut for the winter somewhere between mid and late October, and in the busiest resort areas, Sant Antoni and Platja d'en Bossa above all, most clubs and restaurants start closing towards the end of the month. Ibiza town, Santa Eulària and the inland villages, where people live all year, keep going. Coming in the last week? Check that your hotel is open for your whole stay and that the places you want to eat have not closed.

Getting around changes too. The summer night bus stops running every night at the end of September, and its website only announces special services for the closings until 10 October. Some of the tourist boats that ferry people from Sant Antoni to the beaches also end their season during October, so check the timetable of any bus or boat you plan to rely on. A hire car makes the second half of the month far easier; without one, share a ride in Ibiza Connects with someone going your way.

Halloween, the season's last Saturday

Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October, and our calendar has two parties for it, one in the afternoon and one at night: Supernova x Halloween at Akasha, Las Dalias, at 16:00 (from 15 €), and Haunted Sonic Temple | Halloween Special at Chinois Ibiza at 23:30 (from 30 €). The rest of that final weekend, from Es Paradis's last night on the Friday to TRIP Closing Party at Chinois on Sunday 1 November, is in our guide to what stays open in October. With the clocks already back the sun sets before six, and nights are cooler than in September: bring a warm layer for the way home.

Meeting people when the island empties

The second half of October has a different crowd. Seasonal workers leave in waves, and the people left are mostly residents, those stretching the season out, and visitors who chose the quiet on purpose. A market stall or a small afternoon party is an easier place to talk to a stranger than a club built for thousands, and a plan you repeat — the Saturday market, the same sunset spot — is where you start recognising faces.

If you would rather not turn up alone, every party and every plan in Ibiza Connects has its own group chat, so you can say hello before you go and agree where to meet. For more ideas away from the dance floor, see plans in Ibiza beyond the clubs; and for turning new faces into friends, how to make friends in Ibiza.

In short

October is when Ibiza changes season, and the closing weekend is the hinge. Until the 11th, the season goes out at full volume: closing parties, a warm sea, sunsets after twenty past seven. After it, a handful of venues remain, prices and pace drop, the clocks go back on the 25th, and the island is for people who like beaches without queues and walks without the heat. Keep a spare day in case of rain, and decide which of the two Octobers you are coming for.