Edinburgh Cocktail Week to return for extended event

Good news for those missing the Edinburgh Cocktail Week, as it’s set to return this year.

The team behind the Edinburgh Cocktail Week have confirmed that an extended event will take place over two weeks from Monday 11 - Sunday 24 October.

Included in the fortnight of cocktails will be the flagship Cocktail Village at Festival Square.

Organiser Gary Anderson said: "We are absolutely delighted to announce the return of Edinburgh Cocktail Week.

The Cocktail Village is the hub of the event.

"Our festival attracts over 20,000 people every year, so the challenge for us has been how do we safely welcome everyone back and give them the fun, social festival experience that we have all waited so long for.

"It was clear we had to extend this year's festival to two weeks to spread footfall over a longer period of time, allowing us to deliver a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience in the Cocktail Village and in the participating bars and pop-ups around the city.

"We are conscious there may still be some restrictions in place in October, such as social distancing and reduced capacities, so we are increasing the size of the Cocktail Village and doubling our capacity with an adapted layout inside and new covered areas outside - it's going to be our biggest yet.

"We are also adding additional ventilation and a completely transparent roof to the Cocktail Village to allow in more fresh air and natural light - measures we know help keep people safe and give them extra confidence in attending.

"We are confident that these changes, along with the extension to two weeks, will ensure Edinburgh Cocktail Week can go ahead safely in October."

As with previous years, the Cocktail Village at Festival Square will be the epicentre of the festival.

Inside there will be 20 pop-up bars serving £4 cocktails alongside a programme of live music, entertainment and a selection of local street food.

Over 80 of Edinburgh's cocktail bars will also take part in Edinburgh Cocktail Week, each creating a special 'Signature Cocktail' in partnership with premium spirit brands, which wristband-holders can enjoy exclusively for £4 each.

What bars are taking part?

Confirmed bars include Tigerlily, Harvey Nichols, Cold Town House, Copper Blossom, Tonic, Candy Bar, The Boozy Cow, Indigo Yard, Whiski Rooms, Herringbone and Badger & Co.

This is the first year 'Prestige Cocktails' are being introduced to Edinburgh Cocktail week.

This new, premium tier of cocktails, priced at £15 each, will be available from Edinburgh's 5-star venues and bars, giving wristband-holders the opportunity to indulge in drinks created by some of the city's award-winning mixologists.

There will also be a new focus on no and low cocktails, with all participating bars offering a no or low alcohol version of their Signature Cocktail to cater for all.

This year will also see the introduction of more pop-up sites dotted across the city.

Organisers are remaining tight-lipped on what and where these new pop-ups will be, but they promise to offer exciting experiences for festival goers, just like the rooftop Cocktail Domes did during the last festival.

Ticket information

Wristbands for Edinburgh Cocktail Week are on sale now, priced from £8.

There are three wristband options: Week one, Week two, or VIP.

Wristbands are valid at the Cocktail Village for a full week (or both weeks with a VIP wristband) and are also valid at all 80+ participating bars across the city for the entire duration of Edinburgh Cocktail Week - meaning festival goers can enjoy multiple days out to make the most of this year’s festival.

For those who had already bought or carried over an ECW wristband, they will be automatically upgraded to a VIP wristband.

This will be confirmed in an email by Edinburgh Cocktail Week's ticketing provider, Citizen Ticket.