One of Ibiza’s most famous clubbing names is returning to the island this weekend as Manumission stages a three-day comeback celebrating the music, performance and creative freedom associated with its 1990s era.

Called Le Weekend Manumission, the event will run from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2026, with activities taking place across several venues in the Sant Antoni area.

The centrepiece will be a 12-hour event at 528 Ibiza on Saturday 26 September, running from 17:00 until 05:00.

A return after 18 years

Manumission became one of the defining names of Ibiza nightlife during the 1990s after arriving on the island in 1994.

Founded by brothers Mike and Andy McKay together with Claire Davies, the party developed a distinctive combination of electronic music, performance, theatre, art and unconventional entertainment.

It became closely associated with Ku, which later became Privilege, before eventually moving to Amnesia during its final years. The original Manumission era came to an end in 2008.

Now, almost two decades later, Mike and Claire are bringing the concept back to Ibiza for a special weekend built around the atmosphere and creative ideas of the late 1990s.

528 Ibiza becomes the centre of the weekend

The main event takes place at 528 Ibiza on Saturday 26 September.

From 17:00 to 05:00, the venue will be transformed into five interconnected environments inspired by Ibiza in 1998.

The organisers say the experience will combine music with theatrical performances, art, dancers, drag performers and other characters, creating an immersive production rather than a conventional club night.

528 Ibiza describes the event as a recreation of one of the island's most memorable summers, with the soundtrack and creative concept deliberately looking back to 1998.

The Manumission Motel returns

One of the most recognisable elements of the original Manumission story was The Motel.

Mike and Claire created the venue in 1998 after transforming a former roadside brothel into a pink, unconventional space where DJs, performers, artists and other guests could continue the Manumission experience away from the main club.

The Motel has since become one of the most talked-about chapters in the history of the party.

For the 2026 event, a new multi-level recreation of The Motel will form part of the production at 528 Ibiza, drawing directly on Claire's recently published memoir, The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza.

Music, performance and five immersive worlds

The Saturday programme is being presented as an experience spread across five different areas rather than a straightforward DJ-led party.

Among the announced elements are a recreation of The Manumission Motel, a Detroit techno and Balearic-inspired space, a production centred on queer culture and a theatrical environment inspired by New York nightlife.

David Morales is confirmed to perform a six-hour set, while Carl Craig is also part of the announced programme.

The complete lineup has deliberately been kept under wraps, meaning additional artists and performers may remain undisclosed until the event itself.

A different approach to VIP culture

The organisers are also reviving one of the principles associated with the original Manumission parties: the absence of a traditional VIP area.

The event is being presented as a shared experience rather than one divided between VIP and general areas.

The organisers have also announced restrictions on photography and mobile phone use, echoing the no-camera approach associated with Manumission's earlier events.

Inspired by Ibiza in 1998

The entire production is built around the summer of 1998, one of the periods most closely associated with the original Manumission concept.

Music, costumes, characters and stage design will all draw from that era.

The organisers have said the event will not simply reproduce a traditional club night, instead using theatre, performance and storytelling to recreate the atmosphere surrounding Manumission at the height of its influence.

Claire Manumission's new memoir

The comeback also coincides with the publication of Claire Davies' memoir, The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza.

Published in July 2026, the book documents her experiences during the Manumission years and focuses particularly on The Motel and the people who passed through it.

A reading and book-related event forms part of the wider Manumission weekend.

A three-day Ibiza programme

Le Weekend Manumission begins on Friday 25 September and continues until Sunday 27 September.

The weekend brings together events connected with Ibiza Rocks, Pikes Ibiza and 528 Ibiza.

The main Saturday event is followed on Sunday by Carry On Cowboy at Pikes, listed as a Pikes event in collaboration with Manumission.

The weekend therefore goes beyond a single club night, with the organisers using several venues around Sant Antoni to create a wider Manumission programme.

Manumission's view of modern Ibiza

Mike McKay has used the return to reflect on how Ibiza's nightlife has changed since the 1990s.

Speaking to EL PAÍS, he argued that the island has become more focused on money and VIP culture and said he believes some of the eccentricity that characterised the earlier era has been lost.

Those comments represent the founders' perspective on the changes they have witnessed over the past two decades and are not an objective assessment of Ibiza's current nightlife.

The return of a defining Ibiza name

Manumission's return comes at a time when several elements of Ibiza's clubbing history are being revisited through new events, venues and projects.

For its founders, the September weekend is an opportunity to reconnect with the people, music and creative ideas that defined their original era.

For a new generation of clubbers, it offers a chance to experience a contemporary production based directly on one of the most distinctive chapters in Ibiza's nightlife history.

Le Weekend Manumission runs from 25 to 27 September 2026, with the main event at 528 Ibiza taking place on Saturday 26 September from 17:00 to 05:00.