Mykonos, Celebrity’s Homeland

Since the early 60s it has drawn celebrities from all over the world and during the years the beautiful island has been greeting names such as Brigitte Bardot, Aristotele and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Maria Kallas, Soraya (princess of Persia), Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Barton, Marlon Brando, Rita Heyworth, Valentino, Gianfranco Ferré and many more. Over the more recent years, its star power has been even increasing and celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton or Ariana Grande has chosen Mykonos for their holidays, making of the island one of the hottest travel destinations for celebrities.

There is a significant quantity of photos and videos documenting the gorgeous past of the island in this sense. A video filmed around the 80s shows how legendary Mykonos was for its wild parties. In that video, it is possible to discover all the most renowned clubs and bars of the time, which left an everlasting mark in nightlife, making Mykonos so famous. Certainly the most beautiful and celebrated location for nightlife was – and still is – Little Venice. The video was showing popular clubs such as Caprice Bar, which was at the time simply the place to be. Parties were starting at sunset and were going on to the sunrise. Caprice was the result of two dreamers who made of entertainment their life-style. Melpo and Nikos wanted to create a place where people could be free and comfortable to express themselves and their aim was to create a trend inspiring a feeling of freedom and self-expression, in the typical bohemian atmosphere of the Cyclades Islands. Their success was also due to a combination of modernisation with classic style. Today the club is still one of the most popular in the island, and is not only famous for the Bar, but for the Sea Satin Market restaurant as well.

With the 70’s era powering on, the island also stayed true to its hospitality roots and welcomed nudism and the gay community to it shores. Some in the gay community found in the island a discreet and cosy place where to enjoy freedom, and quickly became a part of Mykonos culture. During this decade, gay couples from all over the world were visiting the island that welcomed them warmly. Their impact added a different aesthetic feel to the island, from the entertainment to food, the décor, and the parties. It is in this period that Mykonos started to be a top international party destination. With more trendsetters and visitors flocking to the Grecian isle, more nightclubs, restaurants and hotels continued to develop and take over the island, doubling and tripling their numbers. With the continued incursion, the island also began beach development.

Among the groups who took over the “new order of things” there were some multicultural figures, Greeks or otherwise who, when they were not travelling around the world, set up business on the island. Mykonos led the way worldwide in the leisure industry. The meeting places that mark the islands’ history were opening up. The period of the seventies on Mykonos has assumed mythical proportions. The island was the most in place in the world. Many others clubs of the inner Chora were in the video we were speaking above, which were and some still are the pole of attraction for the unconventional gay community, from the classic Irish Bar, to the Scandinavian Bar-Disco, Manto, Ikaros – very famous for its drag queen show – to Pierros, one of the oldest and most legendary bars in Mykonos. Famous for its mythical parties, Pierro’s bar first opened in 1973 by the Italian Pierro Aversa and the Greek Andreas Koutsoukos, and lasted for more than three and a half decades, attracting celebrities from all over the world. It started as a cocktail restaurant, but soon it put on drag shows with the famous Jack and Karlos and next it became the most famous gay place on the island.

The club was soon attracting worldwide popular names, including famous fashion designers such as Jean Paul Gautier. At the time the club was developed only downstairs, which was adding by the way to the atmosphere… In the video, the nocturnal wandering ends in the most underground club of Mykonos, Mad, which was considered the temple of electronic music. Today the echo of hedonism remains. Although some decades have passed, the wild nightlife and parties are still happening and leftovers of the old gang and new admirers of that lifestyle still try their luck on Mykonos. Even if now Pierro’s is closed, Mantos, upstairs, is just next door and is run by some of the original Pierro’s staff. The square is still full of people and Ikaros is pure fun, so not much change actually.

The streets are still crowded and clubs keep opening commanding new trends. Among the many, we can mention:

• ASTRA Bar: Designed by world-famous artist Minas, a place combining retro decor and design under a dome that look like an observatory. Rather than choosing a huge space, the owner decided on quality over quantity, so the bar can only accommodate a small but heterogeneous crowd.
• Scandinavian Bar: Situated in the heart of Mykonos, it is one of Island’s oldest and most famous gathering points. People are invited to dance until the morning and enjoy extravagant cocktails and drinks. The open-air disco dance floor is always crowded and appeals those who like high-energy music, while there is a patio area for those who would rather relax and enjoy their drink.
• Uno is one of the oldest bars in Chora, perfect for watching the crowds passing by, as you taste your drink sitting on the steps outside. You can even make a reservation for a bottle at the steps!
• La Notte  is popular for live Greek music, in a particularly crowded environment.

In Mykonos, the best sunset is in the window seat over the water at Kastro Bar serving among the best cocktails in Mykonos town since 1976. Mykonos is definitely the celebrity’s homeland, which is certainly one of its main attractions, so that melting among them is a bit like entering the fairy tale.

So, what are you waiting for?

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