Drawing from the magic of the darker winter nights and the dawning of a new year, The Gifting was the last act of LEEDS 2023. A story-telling ceremony in which the past collided with the present and welcomed in the future. Audiences put on their headphones and entered a surprising world to experience 12 stories inspired by the Year of Culture. This final event was full of beauty, joy and hope in equal measure as we bid farewell to 2023 and handed the baton back to the city.