New Year's Eve Leeds: Huge Ibiza-style party set to take over both Angelica and Crafthouse for the first time

LIT Ibiza Takeover, known for its sizzling rooftop takeover events through the summer, is throwing the party at rooftop bar Angelica and its sister restaurant Crafthouse in Trinity Leeds, taking over two floors of the shopping centre.

Curated by Leeds-based DJ and producer Sara Garvey, revellers can expect UK garage, deep house, disco and afrobeat as they dance away at Angelica. Downstairs, those who purchase a VIP ticket will have access to a ‘Super LIT’ party at Crafthouse.

“I’ve always had the idea to do an offshoot of the takeover,” Sara told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “I’ve been given the freedom to do that at Crafthouse where we’re putting a bit more into it.

“We’ve got a live band with a strings section and we’ll be really focusing in on hospitality. I’ve toured for years around the world and seen some beautiful places, so I’ve taken snippets from everywhere and combined them for this event.”

Traditionally held at East 59th in Victoria Gate, which closed down at the beginning of the year, the New Year’s Eve party will run from 7pm to 2am.

General release for the event is now sold out but there are a limited number of VIP tickets available. Sara has been putting on popular Sunday parties at Angelica since 2014, launching Cafe Del Mar Sundays in 2017 and the Ibiza Takeover a year later.

"That set it on fire,” Sara added. “The second year, I put on the event as the Ibiza Takeover and it’s been running every year since.

“I didn’t even plan to do it, I’m a producer and I had no intention of being a promoter! It happened really organically, I just brought in DJs who I thought were cool and might not be booked in Leeds usually.

"I had the backing of Angelica who really made that possible, I wasn’t worried about it failing or not failing.”

As Leeds prepares to welcome in a new year, Sara said it’s an exciting time for the city’s underground music scene - which took a big knock during the pandemic.

She added: “I think we’re still in repair mode from lockdowns. Just before the pandemic there were so many cool things happening in Leeds. We were starting to get a real identity that we hadn’t had before and a really vibrant underground scene.

“Since then, it feels like everyone lost their identity a little bit and the crowd has changed. We’ve gone back to the beginning, where everyone who is left in the scene is there because of the love of it. You’ve got TESTBED, Ruckus24, me - a few people who have survived it and it’s made us go back to the drawing board.

"We’re developing the scene again and it's an exciting time. That’s why I’m so excited for this event. I think in 2024 we’ll be back on the ground and ready to give it another go.”