WKD has staged a two-venue nightlife takeover in Leeds to mark the launch of its new above-the-line campaign, ‘Got a WKD Side?’.

The SHS Drinks-owned RTD brand transformed two neighbouring venues in the city’s Hyde Park area on 6 May, giving guests the choice between two different party experiences designed to reflect contrasting sides of the WKD brand.

The event took over Korean restaurant Chimaek Oppa and Greek eatery Mythos, with both locations selected following research into popular Leeds venues among 18 to 24-year-olds.

On arrival, guests were asked to choose between the BLUE side and the VENOM side, with each space offering a different sound, atmosphere and visual identity.

The BLUE side was designed to capture WKD’s playful, bold and fun-loving personality, with a house music-led line-up headlined by Sophie Violet from Girls Don’t Sync, supported by Cirque du Soul residents WhosWill and F3rgi3.

The VENOM side celebrated the launch of WKD’s new ready-to-drink cocktails, including Cheeky V, Venom and Blue Lagoon. The space featured UKG and Speed Garage sets from Joe Hunt, King Booo!, CamUKG, B-Hind and Tuggey.

WKD partnered with student music promoter Cirque du Soul on the talent and social media partnership, while Coolr led on social and Raptor delivered the experience, including strategy, event management and staffing.

The activation was created to support WKD’s ‘Got a WKD Side?’ campaign, developed by Continuous and launched in March 2026. The refreshed brand platform is aimed at a Gen Z audience and focuses on the spontaneous, chaotic and memorable moments that define a night out.

SHS Drinks marketing director Scott Bell said: “WKD has always been about fun with attitude, and that matters more than ever today.

“‘Got a WKD Side?’ is built on insight and designed for how consumers actually socialise today – real moments shared with mates – and this event brings that to life at a pivotal moment for the brand.”

Bell said WKD was “back in growth”, delivering 3.1 per cent value growth and 24 per cent volume growth in the latest four-week period.

He added that the brand was supporting its momentum with a more than £10m investment programme, including its major above-the-line campaign.

“Through experiences like this, we believe WKD can bring fresh energy to the RTD category, recruit the next generation of consumers, and continue delivering for our customers across on-trade and take-home,” he said.

Raptor co-founder and chief executive David Burgman said the activation was designed to bring WKD’s new proposition to life for a generation that values “all fun, no filters” experiences.

“With the rise of social media, dance floors became filled with people living through a screen,” he said.

“But no phone policies are now catching on, with a desire to create a more present, intimate atmosphere reminiscent of pre-smartphone, 90s-era clubbing.

“As WKD launched in the UK in 1996, it felt right to be summoning that same energy people would have felt on dance floors back then.”

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