MUMBAI: Hi Ibiza has been voted the World’s No. 1 Club for the third successive year in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs poll. Top 100 Clubs, the globally respected barometer for electronic music clubs across the planet, is determined by a poll of DJ Mag’s global readers — who voted in record-breaking numbers from almost every country in the world.

The Ibiza club, which first opened its doors on Playa d’en Bossa’s iconic strip in 2017, is one of the world’s most technologically advanced dance music destinations, and boasts a dazzling roster of top-tier residencies from artists including Black Coffee, David Guetta, Eric Prydz, FISHER and The Martinez Brothers, and brands such as Afterlife and Glitterbox. The venue wins the award as The World’s No. 1 Club on the week of its 2024 opening party — on Saturday 27th April — which will feature sets from Honey Dijon, TSHA, Adam Beyer, Jamie Jones, Carlita, Loco Dice and many more.
 
Speaking of the win, Yann Pissenem, Founder, CEO & Owner of Ushuaïa Entertainment, Ushuaïa, and Hi Ibiza, said:
“We are deeply honoured to be named the World’s No. 1 Club by the readers of DJ Mag once again. This is a real testament to the support of our incredible community, and this award is as much yours as it is ours. This marks the third consecutive year that your energy and enthusiasm have motivated us to work even harder than ever before, and every vote cast is a result of the strong bond we've forged together. Thank you to all of the incredible artists we are proud to call our family, the entire team at The Night League and Hi Ibiza, my brother Romain and the team at High Scream, our partners, and all those who continue to support us. As we celebrate this extraordinary milestone, we remain deeply committed to raising the bar, delivering unparalleled experiences, and redefining the future of club culture. We cannot wait to welcome you all back again this summer!”

Any attempt to define Hi Ibiza’s ongoing popularity among the hundreds of thousands of voters in DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs poll should probably start by talking about its layout. The Theatre is a main room inspired by Italian amphitheatres, with a VIP terrace surrounding the dancefloor. A huge LED screen creates a fully immersive experience as sonic drama blasts from the powerhouse L-Acoustics rig, and lasers, confetti cannons, and CO2 jets heighten the impact of every drop, breakdown and rolling drum those speakers emit.

In contrast, the Club Room is aimed squarely at the heads — a darker, smaller, lower-ceilinged enclave where the DJ booth sits at eye level and there are far less distractions. A venue within the venue, focusing firmly on the music.

For some, though, Wild Corner is actually Hi Ibiza’s hidden highlight, a unisex bathroom with a DJ booth and a ceiling illuminated in vivid colours. It’s serious yet fun, or maybe that should just be seriously fun.

Back outside, the Magic Garden and Secret Garden provide respite from the chaos, places to kick back, relax and catch up with friends away from the madness. Ethereal installations and luxurious teepees set the tone for these chillout oases.

Each of these areas make a huge impression in their own right, but arguably it’s the way every element of the complex can be fine-tuned to suit any event that guarantees so many returning visitors. Whatever the night, whoever is playing, things will look distinct compared to 24 hours earlier.

Looking through the rest of this year’s Top 100 Clubs poll, the global significance of clubs has never been more clear. A record-breaking number of votes have come in from 229 territories, with ravers as far flung as Vanuatu, Guadeloupe, Bhutan and Greenland having their say and supporting their favourite clubs.

Almost 40 countries supply venues this year, making it perhaps the most international list yet. The top five countries — USA, Spain, UK, Brazil and Croatia — hold their ground, but all except Spain have fewer charting venues than last year. Filling the gaps are a raft of new entries — 16 in total. That’s the most since the 2020 list, which was released just as the world went into COVID-19 lockdown, a clear indicator of the electronic music scene’s post-pandemic recovery. Along with some of these new entries, new nations join (or rejoin) the rankings: Ireland (Index), Malaysia (Pitt Club KL), Slovakia (Ministry of Fun) and Azerbaijan (FOMO) all feature this year, the latter officially giving us a transcontinental club.

In addition to boasting The World’s No. 1 Club, Europe at large remains the continent with the most charting clubs. The region also sees new entries from the UK, France and Spain. Italy supplies two new clubs as well — one situated on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia (Phi Beach) — which boosts it to joint third in the European rankings alongside Germany.

North America is down two clubs overall, but sees a new entry from Canada (REBEL). And Asia claims the remaining new entries — two from Vietnam and one from each of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan — bumping it up to second in the continental rankings. Japan’s additional entry pushes it to the top of Asia’s leaderboard, while Indonesia’s newcomer — the luxurious Savaya in Bali — pulls off an incredible feat by jumping straight in at No. 9, earning the Highest New Entry award and making it Asia’s highest-ranking venue.

South America is down one club, but sees gains elsewhere, with Brazil’s Surreal Park — more a permanent festival than a club, boasting a capacity of 20,000 — up an incredible 48 places to claim the Highest Climber award at No. 23. Could it challenge its Camboriú neighbour and previous poll winner Green Valley for the national top spot? Only time will tell, though Green Valley is still looking strong in the No. 2 spot this year.

Africa holds firm with the same two entries as last year — Kenya’s MUZE and South Africa’s And Club — while Australia’s Home The Venue remains the only placement for the Oceania region.

Fifteen of the top 20 clubs, and seven of the top 10, move up this year, many by only one or two places. However, there are some big shifts too, like London’s fabric jumping 10 spots to reclaim a place in the top 10, and Ministry Of Sound climbing 12 to rejoin the top 20. Together with The Warehouse Project at Depot Mayfield (the UK’s new highest-ranking venue) and Studio 338, they ensure over half of all charting British clubs are in the top 20. It remains to be seen if the new venture by the team behind Printworks, Drumsheds, which enters the poll at No.67 this year, will achieve the same success as its predecessor.

The UK also claims one of only two re-entries this year, as London’s KOKO — a venue steeped in history — returns to the poll for the first time since 2008. The other re-entry is LA club, Sound, which has been absent for a year after debuting in 2022. It marks a positive for the USA in a year that’s seen it land three fewer clubs overall — though 60% of the clubs that survive have moved up places.

And what of Europe’s strongholds of summer clubbing? Ibiza remains mostly unchanged, retaining the aforementioned No. 1 via Hi Ibiza, and with roughly equal ups and downs among its remaining six entrants, with bonus good news for Pacha as it hops back into the top 20. Croatia, meanwhile, has a new leader in Noa Beach Club, which jumps 16 places to No.12; however, it’s down overall with the loss of Kalypso from the chart, and its remaining four clubs all dropping places.

A year of diversification and expansion for our global club scene then, which can only be a good thing. Long may it continue.

See the full Top 100 Clubs results at djmag.com/top100clubs