Interview: Pacha’s Creative Director Joan Gràcia talks about new venue LÍO LONDON at renovated Cafê de Paris
The newly renovated Café de Paris is reopening as LÍO LONDON, a one-of-a-kind entertainment and dining experience will bring a taste of Ibizan glamour to the West End in the former Café de Paris venue, breathing life back into one of London’s most iconic and historic nightclubs.
We caught up with Pacha’s longtime creative director Joan Gràcia to talk about the new venue and what we can expect…
Tell us about LÍO LONDON. What should your guests expect?
LÍO IBIZA has been open for 12 years and a large number of our clients are English. Throughout these years we’ve offered brits an experience to remember where they can have fun enjoying a special and unique night that they don’t get anywhere else. And now, we’re very excited to bring all of this and more to London with a show specifically designed for the capital. Those who know Lío Ibiza will be get the opportunity to immerse themselves in the suggestive, intimate and sexy dinner show again, but for those who don’t know it, we’re inviting you to take part in a night full of surprises; a reinvention of the world of “Varieties” and the Music Hall. A selected cast of 20 artists, including singers, dancers and acrobats, will deliver a show entitled “Crowns & Rings” – it’s sure to be one to remember!
What or who are the inspirations for the new premises?
The line of inspiration for LÍO LONDON is to preserve the architecture and the essence that Café de Paris had while adapting it to a more current aesthetic as well as the technical needs of LÍO, based on comfort, elegance, and modernity. Lío is set to be a cozy space where the client feels comfortable and taken care of where they are able to relax, let go and enjoy everything the night holds.
This delicate renovation is in the hands of the prestigious architecture and interior design studio Lázaro Rosa-Violan. They are supervising the remodeling and taking great care to preserve the heritage elements of the place. Lázaro Rosa Violán is also designing the new Lío’s in DUBAI and PALMA DE MALLORCA, which are opening soon.
What would be your final line up for a show at the venue?
The show is inspired by the signs, magic and aesthetics of an invented royalty, transported to the world of varieties. A kaleidoscope performance made up of dances, dolls, clowns, weddings, coronations and fireworks, among other acts, all come together to offer the fun, participatory and sexy show of Lío.
The show is paired with an inspiring menu of international cuisine with touches of Mediterranean and Ibizan twists. The menu will be completed with a selection of wines made by the sommelier Romain Audrerie.
What are your favourite places in London?
For me, London is the city where someone who loves theater, music, dance and ultimately art and nightlife could easily make their home. It has always been a benchmark for those of us who are close to artistic creation, so opening Lío in London is something of an honour. It has been a city where musical currents and new fashion trends have been born and where the clash between the most innovative and the most conservative creates an energy and atmosphere that infects and inspires those who arrive, like me.
Some of my favorite places are Tate Modern, The Box, Pineapple Dance Studio, Royal Albert Hall, Min Jiang in Royal Garden Hotel, Hyde Park, and the many West End musicals London endlessly has to offer…and very soon LIO LONDON will be added to that list.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
