The Willow Experience
Event details
Love it or Hate it? The Willow was an infamous part of York’s nightlife culture for 42 years - a Cantonese restaurant-cum-disco, which was run by the Fong family in Coney Street from 1973 to 2015.
Re-experience the Willow through your senses and bring those memories to life. Touch, smell and taste the free prawn crackers (while stocks last!), listen to cheesy music, but be careful of those stairs and whatever you do, don’t touch the ceiling (if you know you know)!
Watch the Willow Archive “STORIES”, a series of six short archive films that share memories, from the challenges and joys experienced by those at the centre of this family-run business, to why the punters loved it, and that epic last night.
Find out why there were cute illustrations of Tommy Fong and his family on the walls of the Willow Disco. And hear from Tommy Fong’s daughter Vicki Fong, who created the Willow Girl and “Love It or Hate It?” artworks.
See how the legacy lives on in the ongoing creative collaboration between ThomFong and StreetLife York.
Join us to mark the 10th anniversary of the Willow's closure and the launch of the Willow Community Digital Archive. And yes, there will be t-shirts!
The Willow Community Digital Archive was a StreetLife project led by Rachel Cowgill of the University of York, funded by the AHRC.
About the speakers
Rachel Cowgill MBE specialises in British music and musical cultures, with a particular interest in how music connects people, memory and place - she led the StreetLife project in 2021-23, focusing on the heritage and communities of Coney Street. At the University of York she is a Professor of Music, as well as Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Director of the Humanities Research Centre.
Vicki Fong is the daughter of Tommy and Soo Fong, the former owners of The Willow. She is the creator of the iconic graphic identity, which includes the Willow Girl and famous ‘Love it or Hate it?’ Like her parents and The Willow, she is not confined by convention; she is the co-director of ThomFong design and strategy consultancy, founder and personal trainer at BOSH fitness, and a lecturer at the Royal College of Art.
David Thomas, co-director of ThomFong design and strategy consultancy, works with businesses in education, conservation and health. He has a vested interest and developed practice in filmography and storytelling. David produces film and live project frameworks that celebrate how businesses support and inspire their communities. He is the Course Leader of Fashion Promotion and Imaging at the University of West London.
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