'Love it or hate it' nightclub's legacy celebrated

The exhibition in York will reveal archive footage from the height of The Willow nightclub's fame

The legacy of an "important and symbolic" city nightclub famous for its free prawn crackers and decades-spanning pop playlist is to be celebrated at a special show.

The Willow was a family-run Cantonese restaurant and disco which was a nightlife staple in York for over 40 years between 1973 and 2015.

Marking the 10th anniversary of its closure, the free exhibition in the city would let people relive "the stories, the friendship, the love" through archive footage, memorabilia and anecdotes, organisers said.

Vicki Fong, daughter of Willow owner Tommy Fong, said: "Some people hated it, some people loved it - but it just evoked so many different emotions."

The Willow Experience exhibition, being held on Friday 13 June as part of York Festival of Ideas, would feature a series of six short archive films exploring the venue's 42-year history, Ms Fong explained.

It would include punters' memories from over the decades, interviews with the Fong family, and footage from the final club night.

There would also be memorabilia, merchandise emblazoned with the "Love It Or Hate It?" logo - and even prawn crackers to snack on.

"To be able to put together the legacy of my family's business, and for it to be visible and available to everybody, is incredible," Ms Fong said.

The Willow, on York's Coney Street, entertained revellers between 1973 and 2015

Her parents had not previously understood the huge role The Willow had played in York's nightlife for such a long time, Ms Fong explained.

"I think for my parents, they were just working really long hours," she said.

"[My dad] was just consumed in the job and I don't think he realised the impact he had on people.

"Trying to explain to him how important and symbolic it became in people's lives, I think it's only since we started putting the archive together he's starting to understand."

Ms Fong said The Willow Experience exhibition was a collaboration between the digital consultancy agency she had co-founded and the StreetLife York project, led by the University of York in partnership with the city council, York Civic Trust and York Music Venues Network.

Running between 2022-23, and originally focused on the history of Coney Street, Ms Fong said that after so many contributors to StreetLife York mentioned The Willow, the university made the venue the subject of a separate project.

"I think that's what's really lovely about it. When you talk about The Willow, it does evoke different responses," she said.

"Some people hated it, some people loved it - but it just evoked so many different emotions."

Vicki Fong says the idea behind the restaurant and nightclub "just seemed to work"

Ms Fong said that as part of Friday's event, she would divulge some behind-the-scenes secrets about The Willow, including the story behind the famous hand-drawn illustrations decorating the nightclub's walls.

She said she still regularly received emails from people wanting to put on "a Willow-themed hen do or a Willow-themed wedding".

She explained she had even received a request from a couple who had recently had a baby and wanted a customised artwork celebrating the nightclub to hang over her crib.

"The concept of that is just bonkers - having artwork from a late-night disco that was also a Chinese restaurant," Ms Fong said.

"When you look at the business, you think nobody would ever propose that as a business model. But it just seemed to work.

"There's something really beautiful about that, and I think the beauty is the stories and the friendship and the love."

The Willow Experience is due to take place at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, on Coney Street, between 18:00 BST and 19:00 BST on Friday 13 June.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.