Edinburgh’s popular Festival Village beer garden has reopened to the public for summer

Edinburgh’s Festival Village has reopened to the public with spectacular views overlooking the city’s Old Town.

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The pop-up beer garden has returned to the Waverly Mall rooftop, offering the famous Edinburgh Gin and tasty street food.

It is tempting customers by serving Edinburgh Gin, alongside champagne from the pop-up bar, Fizz and Pearl. You can even grab a bite to eat while you visit, as they are offering street food from Pizza Geeks and Say Cheese.

Open for business... Festival Village Picture: Aoibhínn Cullen

Since lockdown restrictions eased, beer gardens have been fully booked and it’s almost impossible to find anywhere with a table available.

However, Festival Village will not be following in the footsteps of other beer gardens across the Capital. Instead of taking bookings, they will be operating on a strict first come, first serve rule.

You can even bring a fury friend along, as dogs are welcome at the outdoor bar.

Announcing their reopening on social media, bosses asked their followers “Cheeky mid week drink anyone?”

Marketing Director, Aoibhínn Cullen, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be back with Festival Village, in what is our biggest set-up to date. It's fantastic to see things opening back up particularly within in our industry, which has been one of the worst affected by the pandemic.”

“This year we have teamed up with Edinburgh Gin to create an "urban Eden" space in the city centre. But of course, it's not just gin on offer, everyone has been missing pints through lockdown - so needless to say Tennents has been flying out.”

The hospitality sector took a major hit this year, but with lockdown restrictions easing things are finally looking up.

Festival Village manager, Daniel McCormick, said: “For me, the most gratifying part has been to employ around 60 trained hospitality staff and provide a fun and safe working environment to people who have chosen to work in one of the hardest hit industries in the past year.”

He added: “We work on a walk-in system to ensure we always have enough space for all those wishing to attend."

So, if you fancy a drink while visiting Princes Street, Festival Village is open daily from 11am-10pm for walk in’s only.

You can find more information about what’s on here: https://www.festivalvillage.co.uk/whats-on

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