How's Your Year Been? (2020)

first of all, thanks @Buckley for keeping up the tradition to start this thread. I really enjoy reading those posts and I believe I’m not the only one feeling like that. I’m also really glad that pretty much everyone who’s posted so far is doing OK all things considered.

my turn then. our 2020? a reality check. a slap in our faces. our world got turned upside down…or maybe it’s better if I say our world simply got paused. the coronavirus pandemic and in consequence the almost non-season here on the island has taken away the basis of life for me - both financially as well as culturally/emotionally. being the nightlife guy at spotlight it’s obvious what my basis of existence is economically, and having no clubs open this year you can probably guess we didn’t have a great year. but - and that’s almost as important - we (as in my wife and I) really live and breathe clubbing. in summer, I’m out in the clubs anywhere between two and five times a week, say from may to october. and in winter, even though we’re then clubbing far less, we would always spend a week in berlin at some point and do things like time warp or caprices festival and a few more parties here and there (plus of course dc10’s new year’s day party).

but from the start…(and I’ll actually start a bit before 2020) after the last season, in november, we went on holiday - road trip in the west of the USA. what a fantastic trip. we were in the states for over three weeks and on the way back we did a detour to switzerland to see family and friends (it’s the last time I’ve seen my parents). then after the usual christmas festivities in palma with my wife’s family and then dc10 on NYD, I went for my usual solo month of walking which took me down through the southern tip of andalucía and into northern morocco. so far so good!

at the start of february I was back in ibiza and that’s when things quickly started to change for worse. spotlight big boss @james ordered everyone to work from home, way before the rest of the team realised what was coming. and six weeks later, in the middle of march, lockdown one was a fact in spain. as you’ve surely read, our first lockdown was super strict and we weren’t even allowed out for walks or runs for almost two months. I’m a very outdoorsy person and I really suffered during that period. poor wife (who was happy staying home during lockdown) had to endure some emotional rollercoasters courtesy of yours truly.

springtime came and passed and it was clear ibiza would have its most unusual season ever. ibiza spotlight had to adapt to that reality and seeing we wouldn’t get any proper clubbing this year meant I was on furlough from march onwards. when tourism finally restarted, in june and july I applied to lots of jobs to try and improve my situation a little (furlough pay in spain is too much to die but too little to live) and just as I’d almost given up hope, I got a call and landed a job for the second part of the summer. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here, but between august and mid october I manned the tourist info office in playa d’en bossa. it meant a lot of long boring days (because there weren’t lots of tourists asking for info) and pay also wasn’t great at all, but still a little better than doing nothing and staying on furlough.

since mid october I’m again unemployed and in the same situation as in spring (as in getting a very low unemployment pay). ever since I got together with my wife, I was always the one that had the bigger wage and paid for most of costs. this year the tables have turned and we are both super glad that she has a job which isn’t depending on tourism and/or clubbing. her salary isn’t the best, but between hers and what I currently get, we just about make ends meet. so she’s currently saving both our asses. but yes, we had to massively change our lifestyle this year. in a normal year, the way it works here for lots of people is you make money in summer and then spend it in winter…and then at the end of the winter you’re a bit skint, but you know that you’ll soon improve your situation again as the season ramps up. this year, after our usa trip and my walking month, corona hit us in the worst possible moment. a lesson learnt for the future, whenever things get better, I’ll save up some money which I’ll never touch unless things get really bad. that said, it’s also true that 95% of people here would never have expected this could really happen. you can expect a good season or a really bad one, but a complete non-season for the nightlife sector, that’s just not happened ever since the first clubs opened here on the island.

right now it’s not only the shortest days of the year, it’s also the darkest days mentally for me. we currently live on a minimum and simply wait for winter to pass. I’m still trying to enjoy the balearic winter by going on hikes and such, but as someone else has said, the longer the pandemic goes on, the more it is taking its toll mentally. my year was simply super boring. I am an extremely social person, I’m always around people, I love clubbing, dancing. all of that has been on pause for nearly a year now. also the fact my mother in law had a heart surgery in springtime and we often went to visit meant we were shielding all summer - I’ve not done one single villa party all summer (and that means something). I’ve had one party all summer, one night in pikes, where I also have to admit I threw all precautions overboard, but that was it. there are tons of people which I would usually see dozens of times over the course of the summer and whom I’ve not seen at all this year. I really miss seeing my friends in a crowded club dancing to tunes.

on the upside, my wife and I are doing great together. in both our family and friends circles a few relationships didn’t survive the year (actually some of our closest friends have split up) and we are both really glad we can be there for each other when we have a bad day. I don’t wanna imagine how I would have gotten through lockdown and this year in general without her! also on the positive side, our families and friends are all healthy. I don't have any close people that died from covid

for 2021 I’m trying to be realistically positive. I think we’ll have a ‘real’ tourist season, from april/may onwards and hopefully long into october, and I’m also hopeful we’ll get a bit of clubbing next summer. I definitely don’t think we’ll get back to ‘normal’ before 2022. what’s nagging is the uncertainty as to how bad/good the season will be, when we’ll get back to work, what will be possible from a clubbing point of view and what will all of that mean for our next winter financially. after this lengthy explanation you all probably understand why I’m so much in favour of testing and why I’d happily get that vaccine. it’s truly not an easy time right now. all that said, we’re still living on the balearics, I wouldn’t wanna live anywhere else (we know a few people who had no other option but to leave the island) and we are still better off than lots of others because we can still buy our own food (some big queues in front of the red cross centres). I also see it from a philosophical point - my last decade (well, up to the start of this year) has been amazing, I got to travel a lot, I had some amazing parties and this is something no one can take away from me. and I’m sure that, sooner or later, both clubbing and travelling will come back. simply need to stay patient…

I think it’s a good moment to also quickly chat about the forums as well. both publicly as well as privately, people have said the forums aren’t the same right now. we’ve noticed this too. I’ve always seen our forums as a mirror of society and it’s undeniable the world’s just not the same happy place as it usually is. especially if you’re a forum that focuses on ibiza and clubbing. let’s face it, for most of us on here, the main reasons we read and write on here are our ibiza experiences, rave reviews, magic moments and sharing music both old and new. this year, we’ve had almost none of that with the exception of the music (but even that not to the same level as usual) and a few non-clubbing ibiza reviews. IMO the main buzz on the forums are the announcements pre-season and then the reviews during the season. this year we had corona, corona and more corona. understandably it’s a very emotional subject and I totally understand things got heated a lot of times this summer. at the same time I wanna thank everyone who managed to keep their cool even when they disagreed on things. sadly also a few members left while others chose to stop posting for the time being. I’m confident next year the forum will turn into a happier place again.

lastly, and that’s a promise, once we can have a proper party again, we will get that spotlight reunion party going. it might only happen in 2022 maybe, but I already had an idea in mind for it and I truly can’t wait to see some of your faces again - and possibly some new ones for the first time too.

over and out - 2021 will be better ?
 
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first of all, thanks @Buckley for keeping up the tradition to start this thread. I really enjoy reading those posts and I believe I’m not the only one feeling like that. I’m also really glad that pretty much everyone who’s posted so far is doing OK all things considered.

Well said pal ????
my turn then. our 2020? a reality check. a slap in our faces. our world got turned upside down…or maybe it’s better if I say our world simply got paused. the coronavirus pandemic and in consequence the almost non-season here on the island has taken away the basis of life for me - both financially as well as culturally/emotionally. being the nightlife guy at spotlight it’s obvious what my basis of existence is economically, and having no clubs open this year you can probably guess we didn’t have a great year. but - and that’s almost as important - we (as in my wife and I) really live and breathe clubbing. in summer, I’m out in the clubs anywhere between two and five times a week, say from may to october. and in winter, even though we’re then clubbing far less, we would always spend a week in berlin at some point and do things like time warp or caprices festival and a few more parties here and there (plus of course dc10’s new year’s day party).

but from the start…(and I’ll actually start a bit before 2020) after the last season, in november, we went on holiday - road trip in the west of the USA. what a fantastic trip. we were in the states for over three weeks and on the way back we did a detour to switzerland to see family and friends (it’s the last time I’ve seen my parents). then after the usual christmas festivities in palma with my wife’s family and then dc10 on NYD, I went for my usual solo month of walking which took me down through the southern tip of andalucía and into northern morocco. so far so good!

at the start of february I was back in ibiza and that’s when things quickly started to change for worse. spotlight big boss @james ordered everyone to work from home, way before the rest of the team realised what was coming. and six weeks later, in the middle of march, lockdown one was a fact in spain. as you’ve surely read, our first lockdown was super strict and we weren’t even allowed out for walks or runs for almost two months. I’m a very outdoorsy person and I really suffered during that period. poor wife (who was happy staying home during lockdown) had to endure some emotional rollercoasters courtesy of yours truly.

springtime came and passed and it was clear ibiza would have its most unusual season ever. ibiza spotlight had to adapt to that reality and seeing we wouldn’t get any proper clubbing this year meant I was on furlough from march onwards. when tourism finally restarted, in june and july I applied to lots of jobs to try and improve my situation a little (furlough pay in spain is too much to die but too little to live) and just as I’d almost given up hope, I got a call and landed a job for the second part of the summer. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it here, but between august and mid october I manned the tourist info office in playa d’en bossa. it meant a lot of long boring days (because there weren’t lots of tourists asking for info) and pay also wasn’t great at all, but still a little better than doing nothing and staying on furlough.

since mid october I’m again unemployed and in the same situation as in spring (as in getting a very low unemployment pay). ever since I got together with my wife, I was always the one that had the bigger wage and paid for most of costs. this year the tables have turned and we are both super glad that she has a job which isn’t depending on tourism and/or clubbing. her salary isn’t the best, but between hers and what I currently get, we just about make ends meet. so she’s currently saving both our asses. but yes, we had to massively change our lifestyle this year. in a normal year, the way it works here for lots of people is you make money in summer and then spend it in winter…and then at the end of the winter you’re a bit skint, but you know that you’ll soon improve your situation again as the season ramps up. this year, after our usa trip and my walking month, corona hit us in the worst possible moment. a lesson learnt for the future, whenever things get better, I’ll save up some money which I’ll never touch unless things get really bad. that said, it’s also true that 95% of people here would never have expected this could really happen. you can expect a good season or a really bad one, but a complete non-season for the nightlife sector, that’s just not happened ever since the first clubs opened here on the island.

right now it’s not only the shortest days of the year, it’s also the darkest days mentally for me. we currently live on a minimum and simply wait for winter to pass. I’m still trying to enjoy the balearic winter by going on hikes and such, but as someone else has said, the longer the pandemic goes on, the more it is taking its toll mentally. my year was simply super boring. I am an extremely social person, I’m always around people, I love clubbing, dancing. all of that has been on pause for nearly a year now. also the fact my mother in law had a heart surgery in springtime and we often went to visit meant we were shielding all summer - I’ve not done one single villa party all summer (and that means something). I’ve had one party all summer, one night in pikes, where I also have to admit I threw all precautions overboard, but that was it. there are tons of people which I would usually see dozens of times over the course of the summer and whom I’ve not seen at all this year. I really miss seeing my friends in a crowded club dancing to tunes.

on the upside, my wife and I are doing great together. in both our family and friends circles a few relationships didn’t survive the year (actually some of our closest friends have split up) and we are both really glad we can be there for each other when we have a bad day. I don’t wanna imagine how I would have gotten through lockdown and this year in general without her! also on the positive side, our families and friends are all healthy. I don't have any close people that died from covid

for 2021 I’m trying to be realistically positive. I think we’ll have a ‘real’ tourist season, from april/may onwards and hopefully long into october, and I’m also hopeful we’ll get a bit of clubbing next summer. I definitely don’t think we’ll get back to ‘normal’ before 2022. what’s nagging is the uncertainty as to how bad/good the season will be, when we’ll get back to work, what will be possible from a clubbing point of view and what will all of that mean for our next winter financially. after this lengthy explanation you all probably understand why I’m so much in favour of testing and why I’d happily get that vaccine. it’s truly not an easy time right now. all that said, we’re still living on the balearics, I wouldn’t wanna live anywhere else (we know a few people who had no other option but to leave the island) and we are still better off than lots of others because we can still buy our own food (some big queues in front of the red cross centres). I also see it from a philosophical point - my last decade (well, up to the start of this year) has been amazing, I got to travel a lot, I had some amazing parties and this is something no one can take away from me. and I’m sure that, sooner or later, both clubbing and travelling will come back. simply need to stay patient…

I think it’s a good moment to also quickly chat about the forums as well. both publicly as well as privately, people have said the forums aren’t the same right now. we’ve noticed this too. I’ve always seen our forums as a mirror of society and it’s undeniable the world’s just not the same happy place as it usually is. especially if you’re a forum that focuses on ibiza and clubbing. let’s face it, for most of us on here, the main reasons we read and write on here are our ibiza experiences, rave reviews, magic moments and sharing music both old and new. this year, we’ve had almost none of that with the exception of the music (but even that not to the same level as usual) and a few non-clubbing ibiza reviews. IMO the main buzz on the forums are the announcements pre-season and then the reviews during the season. this year we had corona, corona and more corona. understandably it’s a very emotional subject and I totally understand things got heated a lot of times this summer. at the same time I wanna thank everyone who managed to keep their cool even when they disagreed on things. sadly also a few members left while others chose to stop posting for the time being. I’m confident next year the forum will turn into a happier place again.

lastly, and that’s a promise, once we can have a proper party again, we will get that spotlight reunion party going. it might only happen in 2022 maybe, but I already had an idea in mind for it and I truly can’t wait to see some of faces again - and possibly some for the first time.

over and out - 2021 will be better ?
 
lastly, and that’s a promise, once we can have a proper party again, we will get that spotlight reunion party going. it might only happen in 2022 maybe, but I already had an idea in mind for it and I truly can’t wait to see some of your faces again - and possibly some new ones for the first time too.
Sign me up. In fact, put a €50 ticket up and I’ll buy it tomorrow
 
This year has been a totally up and down year.

The not so good

Due to the current climate of course meant me and my partner have been through a period of not knowing whether we were keeping our job - It came to a day of waiting for a phone call and all we knew was if we didn't get a call then we were ok. Luckily for both we didn't get that call

I am currently awaiting to go to court for a speeding offence. Which is going to result in a ban though how long that ban will be I am not sure. This was due to the empty A roads over lock down whilst on my bike

My Nan passed away at the age of 90 - she sat down in her chair one day and closed her eyes to never wake again. I am grateful she wasn't in pain. However of course no one was allowed to visit her prior to this which was disappointing but in other ways was respectful to keep others in her home safe.

The good

investing money - while the market had crashed was a perfect opportunity and of course saving a significant amount due to staying at home and lucky enough to keep my job meant this was possible and I will continue to do so carrying on.

Youtube - Focusing on regular and valuable content around my motorcycle has resulted me becoming a youtube partner. I have now converted my channel to be all around bikes.
I have started up a second channel in the meantime around lifestyle, fitness, food. I will be using this channel to vlog/review many night clubs, events and many an Ibiza trip hopefully in better detail so look out for those.

Mortgage over payments - as with not spending any money it has meant I have also been over paying on my mortgage pretty much every month

Learning to speak a new language... Spanish. Using Duolingo I often go on and do 5 minutes a day. I am getting the basics for when I am at DC10 and I want to impress the bar girls - "necesito un agua"



any way with that said - I appreciate 2020 more than I would have ever known I am glad it has happened because I have learned a lot and it has pushed me to level up

I think we should all take away that we are all in this together and that we shouldn't leave our self so vulnerable.

I also believe that when we are able to return to doing what we took for granted it will mean so much more to us. Like for example when we get to sit at Cafe Mambo to watch the sunset with a San Miguel in hand, skin toasted from the sun all day knowing you will be heading to Pacha for musicon shortly
 
This year has been a totally up and down year.

The not so good

Due to the current climate of course meant me and my partner have been through a period of not knowing whether we were keeping our job - It came to a day of waiting for a phone call and all we knew was if we didn't get a call then we were ok. Luckily for both we didn't get that call

I am currently awaiting to go to court for a speeding offence. Which is going to result in a ban though how long that ban will be I am not sure. This was due to the empty A roads over lock down whilst on my bike

My Nan passed away at the age of 90 - she sat down in her chair one day and closed her eyes to never wake again. I am grateful she wasn't in pain. However of course no one was allowed to visit her prior to this which was disappointing but in other ways was respectful to keep others in her home safe.

The good

investing money - while the market had crashed was a perfect opportunity and of course saving a significant amount due to staying at home and lucky enough to keep my job meant this was possible and I will continue to do so carrying on.

Youtube - Focusing on regular and valuable content around my motorcycle has resulted me becoming a youtube partner. I have now converted my channel to be all around bikes.
I have started up a second channel in the meantime around lifestyle, fitness, food. I will be using this channel to vlog/review many night clubs, events and many an Ibiza trip hopefully in better detail so look out for those.

Mortgage over payments - as with not spending any money it has meant I have also been over paying on my mortgage pretty much every month

Learning to speak a new language... Spanish. Using Duolingo I often go on and do 5 minutes a day. I am getting the basics for when I am at DC10 and I want to impress the bar girls - "necesito un agua"



any way with that said - I appreciate 2020 more than I would have ever known I am glad it has happened because I have learned a lot and it has pushed me to level up

I think we should all take away that we are all in this together and that we shouldn't leave our self so vulnerable.

I also believe that when we are able to return to doing what we took for granted it will mean so much more to us. Like for example when we get to sit at Cafe Mambo to watch the sunset with a San Miguel in hand, skin toasted from the sun all day knowing you will be heading to Pacha for musicon shortly
I did warn you to take it easy on that bike!
 
Non @ crew checking in.

It's been a wild year, lots of ups and downs as I'm sure you all can relate.

This time last year I honestly wasn't sure my wife and I would still be married 12 months later, things between us had gotten really bad and there didn't seem to be a lot of hope left. We entered marriage counselling and struggled through for the first few months but have come out the other side stronger and happier. It definitely wasn't easy, but it was definitely worth it. Turns out I had pretty much put my life on hold for a couple years and didn't realize that I had stopped doing things that I really loved (travel, music, etc.) to better support our family. So plans were made, travels taken, much happier today for sure.

Professionally I haven't really been affected by the pandemic other than being forced to work from home for a few months while watching my daughter. It was really nice seeing her everyday for that time, but we were both happy when daycare reopened and she could go play with her friends outside. My wife's a nurse, so guiding her through the initial uncertainty and now the resurgence has been rough. I fully expect our state to lock down again by the end of the year as beds fill up in hospitals. Luckily we have been spared losing anyone close to us from Covid, really hoping that I can say that this time next year as well.

This year has definitely opened my introspection and allowed for quite a bit of personal growth. I'm VERY ready to get the vaccine and return to semi-normal life, and REALLY hoping that0 I'll be able to get to Ibiza :)
 
I saw this thread a few weeks ago but I thought it was a bit too early for me to call an end to 2020 ?

I worked with an old Danish bloke once in Esbjerg, and he had an old saying that I can’t remember word for word but it was basically along the lines of ‘never say it was a good day until the sun has set’.

Well this year has certainly ridden me right into the stops.

I was forced to take coronavirus seriously when my Mam was brung down with it early April. Both her and her husband had it for 5 weeks. He works in a prison in Glasgow and he caught it first, then passed it on. They both managed to suffer it out at home. Both doing well now, with no obvious long term effects apart from my Mam being a Covid expert now.

I’d booked a couple of holidays early on in the year and quipped at the time that I was jinxing myself by booking them so early. As the situation went on it became obvious to me that I had actually jinxed myself ?‍♂️

With people around me losing jobs, and loved ones, I didn’t cry too hard about losing a few holidays.

Turned out I was facing redundancy too, thanks to the virus.

I went through the whole getting paid off process and I was about 5 days away from being unemployed when my redundancy was cancelled and I was reassigned to a new team and location. f***, that was a close one! You see your kids playing and enjoying themselves oblivious to what is happening and you wonder how you are going to support them if the worst happens. My heart goes out to anyone that has suffered this.

My Aunty works at a hospital here in Newcastle as a ward clerk and has had a busy year. She’s been ill for the past few years and been getting various treatments for it. She took really ill in October. She found out last week she now has 6 months to live ? The illness has spread to her bone marrow and the doctors say there is nothing they can do.

Spent a bit of time living with her when I was younger, when my parents were going through their breakup. She’s a classic tough geordie wife. She used to work in a boozer in the town known as ‘The Monkey Bar’ for as long as I can remember when I was a kid. Inner city pub with an interesting clientele.

Gutted is an understatement after a year like this. She has two daughters and three grandkids, the loss will hit them hard. They’ve spent all year staying apart due to lockdowns and bubbles and all that. I have no real game plan here apart from trying to be there for them.

My younger brother got married yesterday afternoon in a grim cold and rainy Newcastle. Was witnessed by my cousin and her boyfriend and no one else. Originally it was planned for July and was going to be an awesome family bash. Hopefully we can all get together and celebrate properly at some point in the future. Gutted we couldn’t have a proper stag doo, we had some good things lined up. They’ve taken it in good spirits though and posted there ‘wedding’ pictures online, with one of them next to some random graffiti saying ‘Fat Ankles’ outside the civic centre.

My daughters have had a strange year. It’s been an absolute adventure for the 8 year old. Endless walks out and constant activity. She’s still of that age where everything is a mystery to her. (Wish I was 8 again) Made a swing in the local park with her, using a length of old rope and a piece of wood. It blew her mind for weeks and she was never off it when we went down there.

Bit different for the 15 year old though. Socialising with your friends and being out and about is important at that stage of your development as an adult, I think. She’s found it harder than most of us I think. This being a critical year for her with exams coming up too, I do worry for her.

Two lads I know decided to check out early this year. One ex Army lad, a tough Yorkshireman from Leeds. Another, a Russian lad, that I worked with on contracts after leaving the army. No idea why they decided they’d had enough. Sad times.

Me and my better half were lucky enough to get away for a very short trip to Portugal. Not exactly Ibiza, but it was a much needed break for both of us. True to form for 2020, on the flight out we had to make an emergency landing at Dublin for some poor bloke that collapsed when we were airborne. Was raining heavily in Dublin that day.

Personally I’ve had a really busy year, the work has been non stop. My last operational tour in uniform was 2017 to war torn South Sudan. Whilst I was out there I made a 5 year plan to try and pay my mortgage off early with the money earned and backed up with money from earlier deployments to the Middle East. Well I’ve managed to reach that target early, although I think I’ll hold on to the money and see how the next 12 months go. 2021 looks like it’s going to be such a wild card year.

Me and the missus have just actually set up a joint page on a similar site to OnlyFans (don’t worry mods I won’t be trying to advertise it here lol). I’ve been in calorie deficit for about 4 weeks and smashing out ab routines and gym work to get a bit more ripped so I look half decent in the vids. We’ve got a light ring with a holder for a mobile phone camera and it’s amazing the angles you can get. All pretty easy to do. Our target is to make enough money offset a really good holiday next year, if things have improved of course. I mean I’m no Ron Jeremy like but I’m proud to announce that we are up to £55 already after 5 days. That should cover the drinks in the airport so far. I’ll keep yous updated??

I was actually due to travel away on Boxing Day, in order to start my next work rotation on the 28th. The new strain of Covid has actually cocked this up, with most flights being cancelled. My employers have managed to rearrange my travel for the 29th. A few extra days at home with my family is a great result.

Anyway apologies for rambling on and boring you’s all to death. Finally got the kids to bed and I’ve just been staggering around the living room half-cut trying to put their presents out for them without making a sound.

Not sure exactly where I will be on New Years Eve but I will raise a (non alcoholic) drink to all of you magnificent bastards and say Happy New Year and wish you the very best for 2021 when it comes around.

Also made this for our Xmas tree out of old face masks. The daughters and missus weren’t impressed in the slightest. Don’t know why I bother at times ?‍♂️

4854275E-BBAF-4076-961C-DE809A7D7EB3.jpeg
 
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