AN ILLEGAL rave in Withington attracted students from as far away as Leeds and Sheffield.
Organised by a collective of students from The University of Manchester, the rave was held over two floors at the derelict White Lion Pub on Wilmslow Road.
Arranged via Facebook, attendees had been sent invites to join a secret group, with the promise of details being confirmed closer to the time.
Student DJ Archie Watts, amongst others, played sets at the old pub until six thirty in the morning.
Police arrived in the early hours of Sunday 3rd February, but allowed the event to continue pending any complaints.
Organisers had ensured that all guests arrived before eleven in order to minimise the impact of any police presence.
As there were no complaints made, police merely searched a couple of ravers but no arrests were made.
Some sound equipment was confiscated by the police when the rave came to an end at about 6.30am.
Last week an email was sent to Manchester Metropolitan students by the police asking for information about the organisers. It said that they wished to return the equipment to its owners.
A spokesperson for the student run collective said: "What we do is about reclaiming an abandoned space for the community.
"We chose the White Lion pub as it is a huge space but is also very local for a lot of Manchester students."
Due to licensing laws no alcohol could be sold on the premises, so tokens were sold which could be exchanged for drinks.
Jennifer Kenwood, a third year English Literature student attended the event and said: "It was a very well organised event with a proper security team and bouncers on the door.
"It went well because of the way that it was put together, by word of mouth and on Facebook."
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