Having partied with the Pukka Up gang several times last season I was excited to see what the guys had in-store for us this year and whether their new Friday boat party package would live up to my expectations...
Not only had Pukka Up officially begun their 2012 season but it was also the launch of the Friday Playa d'en Bossa boat party. So, I made my way to PDB in time for the 2pm start and jumped onboard with the many holiday makers all equally as excited as me to get out to sea. With Pukka Up's trademark pout plastered over the boat on police like tape and merchandise which was marketed by this years sexy 'IT Girls' the boat was hard to miss. As the crowd scurried onto the boat, each of us was given a free glass of Sangria - not usually my chosen tipple but it was surprisingly tasty, we then made our way to the top deck to bag ourselves the best dancing spot. Sounding its horn the 300 capacity boat began its journey moving away from Figueretas Beach and into the beautiful Mediterranean sea to the sound of cheers and some mandatory safety guidelines.
Up stepped Pukka Up resident Sam Walker to begin the 3 hour party; keeping true to the sound of Pukka Up he played a selection of upbeat electro, progressive house and popular remixes which perfectly suited the daytime party vibe. With the whole deck belting out Daft Punk's hit 'One more time', drink was flowing and the scenery passing us by was amazing. A typical boat party classic, 'Rolling in the deep' by Adele was dropped to which everybody threw their hands up in the air and passionately joined in. There was even a moment when everybody who could fit into the boats 'dance-floor' area got down to encourage a drop and clearly enjoying all the tracks that Pukka Up had to offer the crowd were undeniably having a great time.
Once the party was over and the boat had docked a still rather hyped up crowd were guided to the new beach bar, Plastik in Playa d'en Bossa for the after-party before THE after-party. Having only ever been on one of Pukka Up's San Antonio boat parties being able to chill out on plush white four poster beds and mingle with the other party-goers in the sun whilst enjoying some more drinks was a really nice touch. After a couple of hours soaking up the final rays of the day we all boarded the Pukka Up branded bus and made our way to Ibiza Rocks for the opening party of 'We Are Rockstars' - which was included in the package.
Last years party continued in Space for the Come Together event so with the bars raised high Pukka Up had quite a lot to prove with the change of venue to ensure that this year was better than the last. With the new earlier boat party times and introduction of the Ibiza Rocks package the whole day to nighttime party was far more seamless which definitely made things much more fun.
With 2012 being referred to as 'the year of change' here in Ibiza it was nice to see that Pukka Up are staying true to themselves and throwing parties which still very much represent the brand. Although they have come back this summer a little spruced up and with better party deals than before, the raw ingredient is still the same which is probably why they are the islands most popular boat party to date.