Edinburgh Cocktail Week 2022: When it is, how to get £5 cocktails and wristbands for Edinburgh event

The Capital will be shaken and stirred once again with the return of Edinburgh Cocktail Week – a city-wide celebration of cocktail culture which allows you to enjoy countless delicious concoctions at fraction of their usual price.

After a sell-out event last year, organisers have decided that such an occasion screams out for more than a week to properly enjoy.

Happily, for 2022, the event has been extended to 10 days!

This year's event, which runs fro 7-16 October, promises to be the biggest ever festival as the team unveil a line-up of bars and live music.

After a sell-out festival in 2021, Edinburgh Cocktail Week will return in October 2022 and has been extended to 10 days.

Some 120 bars have confirmed for this year's Edinburgh Cocktail Week, along with a varied line up of headline music acts for the Cocktail Village.

These include sea shanty-singing TikTok sensation Nathan Evans, local singer-songwriter Callum Beattie, Swedish rising popstar Lilly Ahlberg, TikTok’s Edinburgh-based singing obsession Calum Bowie, and Scottish funk-disco band High Fade.

The festival has also introduced restaurants to its event programme.

Wristband-holders can enjoy a complimentary cocktail when they dine at some of Edinburgh's best restaurants – including El Cartel, Superico, Luckenbooths, Dine and Heron.

How does it work?

Wristband holders can take advantage of exclusive £5 Signature Cocktails at 120 of Edinburgh’s trendiest venues, popular speakeasys, neighbourhood pubs and some of the coolest joints on the east coast.

Each bar has collaborated with a premium spirit brand to create a special Signature Cocktail.

New venues taking part this year include The Alchemist, The Cocktail Mafia, Bonnie & Wild, Bitter Sweet, High Dive, The Daiquiri, East Finch, 63rd & 1st and Tipsy Midgie, alongside returning favourites Tigerlily, The Dome, Le Monde, Harvey Nichols, Copper Blossom, Cold Town House, Black Ivy, Skybar, Tonic and NQ64 – each serving a £5 Signature Cocktail.

The ‘Prestige Cocktails’ category offers wristband-holders the chance to enjoy more luxurious cocktail experiences curated by some of the city’s top mixologists and award-winning venues – including Panda & Sons, Hey Palu, the Harrods Champagne Bar, Eve at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, Nightcap, Hawksmoor, The Waldorf Astoria and Superico 99.

Who are the music acts?

Organisers are putting a big focus on live music this year, with the Cocktail Village at Festival Square welcoming an exciting line-up of headline acts.

Kicking things off is sea shanty singer Nathan Evans, who will take to the stage on October 7.

Nathan Evans’ breakthrough single, The Wellerman, shot to number-one in the UK Singles Chart in 2021 – and has racked up over 500 million streams.

Edinburgh-born Callum Beattie, who thrilled the crowds at TRNSMT festival this summer, will return to his roots and take to the stage on October 10, followed by Swedish pop star, Lilly Ahlberg on October 11.

There will be live music at the Cocktail Village every day from 2pm, with headline acts supported by local upcoming bands and popular DJs.

Where is the Cocktail Village?

The Cocktail Village at Festival Square is the bustling social hub of Edinburgh Cocktail Week.

Entry is free with an ECW wristband and inside you will find 20 pop-up bars serving £5 cocktails, plus live music, DJs, experiential spaces and delicious street food. It’s a great day out!

Pop-up bars this year include: Grey Goose, Jack Daniel’s, Dead Man’s Fingers, Tequila Rose, Boë Gin & Vodka, Tia Maria, Absolut Vodka, Mutugga Rum, Kopparberg, Pampelle, Jägermeister, Havana Club Rum, Brewdog, Bombay Sapphire, Patron, Mixtons, The Busker, London Essence and The Herringbone Horsebox.

What is the Mirror Mirror Bar?

The Mirror Mirror Bar is an exciting new pop-up experience brought to you in partnership with premium gin makers Whitley Neill.

Step inside this shimmering neon space on the rooftop of The Glasshouse Hotel and enjoy delicious £5 cocktails served through the looking glass… just whisper your order to the mirror and watch in amazement as your cocktail magically appears.

You can then sip your way through a menu of flavoured gin cocktails complimented by serves featuring Dead Man’s Fingers Rum, JJ Whitley Vodka and Yardhead Single Malt Whisky.

Tickets cost just £15 and include two cocktails, entry to the Mirror Mirror Bar experience, and a 90-minute reservation.

What have the organisers said?

Gary Anderson, Managing Director of Edinburgh Cocktail Week said: “We’re thrilled to be returning for our fifth year this Autumn. We are always warmly welcomed by the local bar community and it’s great to see new and more bars taking part than ever before.

“It’s important that we continue to develop our festival year-on-year and continue to offer our visitors a memorable and unique visit at Edinburgh Cocktail Week.

“With music such a popular element of the Cocktail Village, we’re excited to welcome headline acts to the Music Stage this year that we’re sure will get everyone dancing and singing along.

“We are also introducing other new elements to this year’s festival, with exciting new pop-ups, spaces and experiences in the Cocktail Village, and our most diverse programme of events happening across the city.

“All will be revealed in due course.”

How to get wristbands?

Wristbands are on sale now and can be bought at www.edinburghcocktailweek.co.uk, while the full list of events, opening times and participating venues can be found at www.edinburghcocktailweek.co.uk