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Imagine a world where the animals roam free and humans are not the dominant species. Got that picture in your head yet? Good. Welcome to Channel Zoo. Set a few kilometres from San Antonio's heart, a paintballing sign on the outside of this old dis-used zoo could deceptively mis-guide, but, prepare to get wild and meet an array of costumed felines, tigers, elephants, crocodiles, leopards and bikini clad maidens. If you're not dressed appropriately, fear not, lose your identity to animalisation as face and body paint is practically mandatory and queues for the ‘relive the child-hood' service continue throughout the night.

According to the promoters Brits represent about 40% of the crowd with the rest made up of continentals and island residents. Face and body painting helps form a common community where communication barriers can be broken down and allows everyone to have a laugh. However, there is always the ones who want to show everyone there singular identity and arrive jostling about like lager louts with a flag draped over their shoulders, quickly they look out of place, then calm down and get on the steps of the seal pit to dance freely under the sky.

Throwing parties in various guises since their infamous boat parties began 7 seasons ago, Zoo projects success has been an underground story within the underground scene of dance music and Ibiza. Tonight's closing party is also a record label showcase for a collective of international promoters whose work experience has been fostered in clubs such as Manchester's Sankey's and Ibiza's Privilege, producers such as Poland's Catz and Dogz and acrobats and artists who are spread across 16 countries including the US, Slovakia, Italy and the UK.

Linking together as one under the Zoo banner every summer in Ibiza main promoter Ady tells me the ethos behind the party is anti-marketing "We generally stay away from interviews and promotion via the media" and the concept behind the event is to run a "massive fun park for adults."

In actuality, Zoo is just that little bit more special than a generic club event or a DJ playing and everything that you could want in a day of clubbing and live music. Think mini festival when you venture upon the fun park filled with an abundance of playground delights such as a labyrinth, fluorescent UV hula hoops where a gaggle of giggling girls pull at each other to take turns to use, a BBQ area and a free massage area where muscle laden therapists and female masseuses are dressed like Geishas.
Starting at 4pm, early arrivals lounge next to an open air swimming pool and chill to the warm house vibes that Yaya spins from the JBL speakers as costumed Scooby Doo's, lobsters and penguins dance, whilst jugglers weave about on rollerblades.

Last year, Luciano played once which brought noise complaints from residents but the promoters tell me how they have ‘solved' the problem by running free buses back to San An when the party finishes at midnight. As the sun begins to set over the Ibizan hills the music starts in the tiered amphitheatre of the seal pit with Evan Baggs, Nikola Bytala and Karina playing tag team behind the decks. Before long the pit is brimming to capacity as bodies layer on the tiers to dance in harmonious unison, wolf whistling away as neon green lasers split into the sky and a machine swishes bubbles into the crowd. Provocatively, 2 acrobats dressed in feline and zebra print costumes wrestle and wrangle with each other on stage in a play fight mode.

As the night winds down Cecille's most under talked about artist Ray Okpara plays a tough house set. Outside, the messy view of some girls getting on the bus with their boobs and arses fall out of the swimsuits they were wearing so elegantly earlier in the day begins as PR people offer free tickets to Privilege on Saturday , but, talk of an after-party in a farmhouse in the hills circulates. It's whispered no taxis are allowed as they keep phoning the police and getting the party busted. Zoo Project might not be in a club but its definitely got the carnival-esque style of Manumission days of yore which combined good music, visuals, entertainers, acrobats, dancers and general party mayhem all in one space and engages an audience at all levels.

ZOOTVIBIZA's Channel - www.youtube.com/user/ZOOTVIBIZA

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