Manumission Returns to Ibiza
Manumission returns after 18 years, reviving its legendary party on the island. Founders Mike and Claire McKay discuss the original vision of the project.
After an 18‑year hiatus, Manumission returns to Ibiza, led by its co‑founders Mike McKay and Claire Davies, now known as Mike and Claire Manumission. The party, which originated in Manchester and arrived on the island in the mid‑1990s, was set up for its first comeback event a few weeks ago. “Very few people understand what we were really doing,” says Mike, recalling the original intent.
During its golden era, Manumission packed Privilege with 8,000 people week after week, moving from Coco Loco Bar to Amnesia in 2007. The name, derived from the Latin for “freedom from slavery,” reflected its mission to create a world where social status vanished. Claire adds that “the heart of Manumission is a family,” emphasizing the community that formed.
The show blended music, theatre, performance art and cabaret, pre‑figuring today’s “immersive experience.” Naked acrobats, giant beds and toilets on the dancefloor were part of the spectacle, while music provided the backdrop to a scene that included drag queens, artists and club kids. The party became a symbol of Ibiza’s second golden age.
The Manumission Motel, a former 15‑room brothel converted in 1998, became the community’s hub. Painted pink and crowned with neon signs, it housed DJs, writers, drag queens and artists who lived there around the clock. Claire describes the book “The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza” as the definitive chronicle of that period.
Manumission not only revived its legacy but also reaffirmed its opposition to the status‑driven culture that now dominates nightlife. The comeback promises to keep alive that radical utopia that defined an era on the island.
