However good the restaurant scene in Ibiza Town, it's something of a sideshow compared with the bars and clubs which have made the island internationally famous - you come to Ibiza to party. Together they keep the place going pretty much twenty-four hours a day, and with money, mobility and stamina the night is yours, never mind the morning. The town's
bars
throng the streets of the lower town, where unsuspecting visitors are herded into terrace bars around Plaça de sa Tertulia by teams of hustlers and fleeced for as much as ¬6 for a beer. Better to start the night in Plaça des Parc in
Sunset
or
Madagascar,
where prices are more reasonable, and then head for the stylish bars of Sa Penya -
Bar Zuka
on c/de la Verge,
Base Bar
and
Rock Bar
at the eastern end of c/Garijo - all attract a seriously funky, clubby clientele. The gay scene is centred on c/de la Verge, perhaps the wildest street in the western Mediterranean, where dozens of bars, and myriad shops cater for an almost exclusively (male) gay crowd;
Caprichio
and
Teatro
are both fashionable spots, but the
Dôme
bar close by at c/d'Alfonso XII is the really
über
-hip gay destination bar. Meanwhile,
clubs
- some of the globe's most spectacular venues - are spread across the southern half of the island, but primarily in Sant Antoni, Sant Rafel, Platja d'en Bossa, and of course, Ibiza Town itself. It's actually quite easy to hop from one club to the other courtesy of the
Disco Bus
(nightly 0.30am-6.30am; ¬1.80 per journey; details from the tourist office). Neither is there much difficulty in finding out what's happening: each club employs PR people, who descend on Ibiza Town to parade through the streets in a competitive frenzy of night hype. Processions of stilt-walkers, silver- and gold-painted angels, devils and dwarfs strut through the streets, drumming up custom. Many of the happening bars also hand out free club entry tickets in return for your custom, which represent a significant saving. None of the clubs open until midnight, but there again they do carry on until at least 7am. Most have a policy of a free drink with the admission price and the majority accept credit cards.
For
live music
, the prime spot is
Teatro Pereira
, c/Comte de Rosselló 3, housed in the old municipal theatre near the Passeig de Vara de Rey. This splendid old building, has a great atmosphere and showcases live acts each night - blues, R&B, reggae, rock and jazz. Open 8pm-5am all year, it has no admission fee but the drinks are expensive.