When Ushuaïa Ibiza announced that Tomorrowland would be taking up residence in its Tuesday slot, and Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike would be the residents, you knew that Garden Of Madness was going to be no ordinary afternoon into evening pool party but then, when has Ushuaïa Ibiza ever done anything ordinary? The world famous festival is known for its elaborate stage production so anticipation levels were rising as we made our way to the outdoor venue for the opening party.

The imposing stage at the far end of the open air theatre had been transformed into a mass of colour, in keeping with the Garden Of Madness theme with a huge snake head as the centre piece, positioned over the top of the booth. The giant LED screen behind the booth was in synch, resulting in a spectacular display. Nora En Pure was in control of the booth when we arrived, picking up from Jose Maria Ramon and MATTN, who had clearly made a significant contribution as the crowd was well on its way to boiling point. There were giant flower pods in the pool area, adding to the garden theme as the main floor filled with eager clubbers, anticipation levels rising as Lost Frequencies took the tempo up a notch.

There are few characters as instantly recognisable as Marshmello, all white outfit and oversized white head aside, his online spat with another head wearing artist have ensured he can’t sneak out to the supermarket without being seen! The mysterious DJ/ producer took to the stage and proceeded to drop a barrage of filthy big room bangers, including his own ‘Alone’ and ‘Moving On’ which ensured a huge reaction from the now capacity audience. His identity might be a mystery to 99% of the population but there was no doubting his popularity as the crowd bounced, cheered, roared and sang along!

Having met the last two Garden Of Madness protagonists the night before, as they answered questions nervously from a hot air balloon tied to our car to make sure it never blew away, we knew they were buzzing about the invite to spearhead the Tomorrowland assault in Ibiza this summer. Having headlined the famous festival previously and played it many time, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike are acutely aware of what this means and, by the time they took their place below the snake head, they were more than ready for the responsibility.

What followed was a masterclass in crowd control, from taking the full outdoor area to heights they never quite managed in the balloon themselves the night before to orchestrating universal singalong’s, they were completely at ease, having found their comfort zone. It should be mentioned that this is not a party for the feint hearted, this is a full on festival feel, throbbing beats, screaming basslines, monster breakdowns and even longer build ups and confetti and explosions galore and there was not a single person inside Ushuaïa Ibiza on Tuesday that wasn’t loving it. Tomorrowland Presents Garden Of Madness is open and we can’t wait to see what it does next!