Ushuaia is casual, but it is not anything goes. The venue's own terms refuse entry in flip-flops, sleeveless shirts, swimwear, with an uncovered torso, or in football and basketball shirts and flags. Everything else is a matter of taste rather than a rule.
The reason the list looks odd for a beach venue is that Ushuaia is an open-air club that runs in daylight, next to a hotel pool at Playa d'en Bossa. You arrive in the afternoon into full sun and stay through to the evening, so the clothes have to work for both, and that is a different problem from dressing for a dark room at two in the morning.
What gets turned away
Flip-flops. The most common reason people are stopped, because they are the obvious thing to wear on a beach three minutes away. Trainers or any closed shoe are fine.
Swimwear and bare torsos. There is a pool, but it is not a pool party in the sense of walking in wearing only shorts. Cover up before you reach the door.
Sleeveless shirts on men. Vests and tank tops are on the list. A plain T-shirt clears it.
Football and basketball shirts, and flags. This one catches groups out most often, particularly during a tournament.
Anything likely to cause offence. The usual catch-all, applied at the door's discretion.
What works
For men, a T-shirt or a polo with shorts or trousers and clean trainers is enough. Shorts are fine as long as they are not swim shorts.
For women, there is no equivalent list. A summer dress, or a top with a skirt or trousers, and shoes you can stand up in for six hours.
The thing worth thinking about is the sun rather than the door. The party starts in the afternoon on an open-air terrace with very little shade, so sunglasses, something over your shoulders and shoes you are happy to have standing in for a long time all matter more than the outfit does.
The hotel and the club are two different things
Ushuaia is a hotel as well as a venue, and the two get confused. The Ushuaia Beach Hotel sits directly on the beach and its garden is the stage: when there is a party on, the hotel's pool area is the venue, and rooms overlook it. The Ushuaia Tower is the second, quieter building alongside, with the Mediterranean views and the restaurants, and it does not have the stage.
Staying at either gets you into the party without queuing, which is the main practical reason people book it. It also means the music is on your side of the window until the early evening, so it suits people who came for exactly that and nobody else.
Quick answers
Is there a dress code at Ushuaia? Yes, but it is a list of prohibitions rather than a standard to meet. No flip-flops, swimwear, sleeveless shirts, bare torsos or team shirts.
Can you wear shorts? Yes, as long as they are not swim shorts.
Can you wear trainers? Yes. Closed shoes are better than sandals in any case, since you will be standing.
Is it smarter than the other clubs? No, it is the most casual of the big venues. The difference is that it runs outdoors in daylight, so the rules are about covering up rather than dressing up.
Do you need to stay at the hotel to get in? No. Staying there gets you in without the queue.
What time does it run? Afternoon into the evening rather than through the night, which is the opposite of the other big rooms.
Before you book the night
Ushuaia is the one venue where the ticket and the outfit both need a moment's thought, because the door is stricter than the reputation suggests and the sun does the rest. If you are planning it as part of a wider week, our team can tell you which nights are worth the trip across the island and which are not.
The rest of the island's rooms, and how the season runs, are in our guide to the clubs on Ibiza. For the daytime version of the same thing, there are the beach clubs.