Ibiza has a growing farting 'pandemic' as raves taken over by bad smells
If you thought Ibiza's biggest threat this summer would be a hangover, sunburn or an violently overpriced cocktail, think again.
Holidaymakers are reporting a far more pungent problem sweeping across the party island - and, apparently, it's putting people off returning.
From clubs and beach bars to pool parties, a growing number of TikTok users claim they picked up the same unmistakable stench during their recent vacations - an alleged epidemic of flatulence wafting through Ibiza's nightlife scene.
Yep, the internet has apparently decided that 2026 is the summer of the 'Ibiza fart pandemic'.
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Several partygoers have taken to social media to ask the same question - why on earth does it smell so bad?
And while some are blaming the island's famously long nights, boozy diets and questionable drains, others have floated a few rather more modern theories, some surrounding drug-use, and some hinged on weight-loss injections.
But is there actually anything to these suggestions? Or has Ibiza simply become one enormous, sun-soaked group chat where everyone is blaming everyone else for passing wind?
To get a clear understanding we gathered evidence from party-goers on the ground, and spoke to some holidaymakers who say they've experienced the smell first-hand, while two GPs have given Tyla their take on what could really be going on.
'It's getting out of hand'
Content creator @alexprivatestory shared in a video: "There is a farting pandemic in Ibiza right now, and we need to get to the bottom of it. This year, in Ibiza, people are just stinking the place up. Are you not potty trained? Are you in a nappy? Please, sort it out."
"Why is everyone farting in Ibiza?" @lsj_fitness also asked in a TikTok. "It stinks! The one reason I'm glad to be back in gloomy Birmingham is that every, single person was farting in the rave. What is going on?
"Look, I get it - it's early in the year. You might be a bit rusty, not been out all winter, summer has come again and you've had one too many beers and you just let it go. But please!"
Filming live from Ocean Beach, @taylor_bret3 told his followers: "Listen, boys, we're in Ibiza. There's a serious fart pandemic going on, ain't there? Mate, everywhere we go - we've been every place in Ibiza - just f****g reeks of farts.
"You guys have got to control your bowels."
His friend them chimed in, agreeing: "It absolutely stinks in here right now. It's got to stop at some point now, it's getting out of hand."
Another online star, @loseitwithlib, suggested: "If you want to know why Ocean Beach smells like s**t, it's because everyone is taking retatrytide.
"Retatrytide causes significant gastrointestinal effects, which means it can cause nausea, bloating, discomfort in the stomach. It slows digestion down so much that your food is held in your gut for a lot longer than it normally is. The waste has to come out somewhere."
And the claims aren't confined to TikTok.
"Me and my friends were saying the whole time that we were Ibiza, 'What is that awful smell?'" self-professed party-animal Daisy Edwards, 19, exclusively told Tyla this week. "We could not tell if it was the drains or if it was some sort of sickness."
"It smelt so bad. Every place you went to, it just smelt so bad."
Reporting directly from the party hotspot - where she’s currently trying to enjoy a relaxing family vacation - Tyla's very own Social Editor, Becky Mills, told us: "As soon as we arrived, there were these weird wafts through the air.
"I asked my sister, 'What is this recurring sour egg sulphur smell?'"
And, frustratingly, the mystery smell wasn't exactly easy to escape.
"You'd think it had gone away, and then you'd finally breathe, and it would come back," Becky recalled. "It actually annoyed me. It ruined my mood; it was awful. My sister suggested it was because of drug use - possibly caused by a dodgy batch - I don't know.
"The air is honking. It's rough. I've heard loads of other people commenting on it. It's so bad. It's pungent."
Who (or, what) is to blame?
Unsurprisingly, the alleged Ibiza stink has quickly become something of a viral mystery, with social media users coming up with their own theories about exactly what could be responsible.
And given Ibiza's reputation, it didn't take long before pills and poppers entered the chat.
The island is widely considered a global capital for electronic dance music and nightlife, and its massive super-clubs, long party hours and escapist culture have gone hand in hand with recreational drug use for decades.
Others have pointed the finger at Ibiza's famously dedicated gym crowd, with the island attracting fitness enthusiasts, wellness tourists and influencers alongside its traditional partygoers.
That means plenty of high-protein diets, supplements and, yes, an awful lot of egg whites - all of which have become part of the online detective work surrounding the smell.
The last - and arguably, the most heavily favoured online hypothesis - however, is that weight loss medications might be playing a part.
The science behind the stench
GPs and business partners, Dr Andrew Mabey and Dr Andy Muress, told us the 'pandemic' has likely be caused by 'a mix' of factors.
"While recreational drugs like MDMA and cocaine increase bowel motility, and are heavily linked to the Ibiza scene, that doesn't quite explain why this year is so much worse than usual," they firstly outlined in a joint statement to Tyla.
The doctors said they have observed a 'colossal increase' in the popularity of these medications, with potentially even more people using grey-market, unregulated peptides.
Agreeing with TikTok user Lib, Dr Mabey and Dr Muress cited Retatrutide specifically, telling us: "These injections mimic hormones that regulate appetite by delaying stomach emptying and bowel transit time.
"This gives gut bacteria way more time to ferment things, producing gas that causes 'sulphur burps' that smell like rotten eggs. When you mix that with alcohol, greasy holiday food, and dehydration, foul-smelling flatulence and bloating are pretty much a given."
That said, the doctors stressed that this doesn't mean weight-loss medication is definitely responsible for Ibiza's alleged stink, and there is currently no evidence establishing an island-wide 'fart pandemic' or linking the TikTok reports to a single cause.
Instead, they say several factors could potentially be colliding at once - changes in diet, alcohol, dehydration, long nights, altered digestion and medication or supplement use.
And there's one combination they particularly want partygoers to avoid.
They emphasised that tourists taking either GLP-1s or weight loss peptides during a party holiday should avoid mixing them with recreational drugs.
"Delayed gastric emptying means alcohol and drugs absorb unpredictably, making normally 'safe' amounts potentially dangerous," they emphasised.
"It's also important to remember that GLP-1s are prescription medications for obesity and diabetes.
"They shouldn't be used by anyone who doesn't need them because the side effects are very real."
The pair added: "Plus, we'd never recommend using unregulated, research-only peptides, no matter how promising they sound."
So, while the mystery of Ibiza's foul-smelling summer may not have quite reached the level of a medical pandemic, one thing is clear - holidaymakers are not happy.
Whether it's the result of drains, dietary choices, dehydration, medication, late-night excesses, or a few too many people agreeing that what happens in Ibiza stays in Ibiza, is a question we can't yet answer with any certainty.
Until we can, just keep packing the SPF, drinking plenty of water and leave a little extra room between yourself and the person dancing next to you.
Topics: Travel, Holiday, Health, Women's Health, Real Life
Rhianna Benson