Already a popular fixture in the Glasgow trade calendar, the Bartenders Ball is to head East for the first time, to celebrate the best of hospitality in the capital with the brand new Edinburgh Bar Awards.
After a successful three years in Glasgow, the peer-nominated awards have officially opened voting in Edinburgh, seeking out the city’s hospitality heroes and most-loved venues.
Voting is now open across nine categories, including Best Bar, Best Drink, Best Shake, Unsung Hero, and Rising Star. The awards ceremony will take place during a lavish bash for bartenders on Monday, 16 September, at The Caves.
This inaugural event will celebrate the exceptional talent within Edinburgh’s vibrant hospitality scene, spotlighting the city’s top bars, cocktails, and industry professionals from hotels, bars, and restaurants.
The Edinburgh Bartenders Ball I open to anyone working in the trade, offering a night to come together and unwind after what will undoubtedly be a busy Fringe season.
Organisers promise ‘high-energy entertainment, eclectic performers, and guaranteed fun’.
The three balls already held in the West have featured a bucking bronco shaped like a wine bottle, a Sailor Jerry arm wrestling competition, DJ sets from Shaka Loves You, and live performances from a nine-piece New Orleans brass band, and Al and the Bad Decisions.
Tickets to the Bartenders Ball cost £30, which gets you drinks from premium brands, street food, smoked barbecue classics, live music, entertainment, the Edinburgh Bar Awards, and many ‘high-octane’ surprises.
Co-founder and organiser of the Bar Awards and Bartender’s Ball, David Smilie, said: “It’s time to take the Bartenders Ball to Edinburgh! Edinburgh has such a talented and hardworking hospitality community, it makes perfect sense to bring the Ball and the Bar Awards to the capital.
“Hopefully everyone grabs the opportunity to join us at The Caves a few weeks after the Fringe to blow off some steam and celebrate each other with the first ever Edinburgh Bar Awards. These awards are all peer nominated, so get voting now!”
Organised by Backs! Hospitality – a community interest company created by David Smillie and Alex Riches – anyone who works across the hospitality industry is invited to attend, from brand ambassadors to bartenders.
Funds raised from ticket sales go towards nurturing the next wave of bartending talent and frontline hospitality staff through various initiatives like events, networking, mentoring, and training.
The Edinburgh Bar Awards invites nominations from any licensed premises within the EH postcode. Winners will be selected after a comprehensive judging process involving industry votes and an esteemed panel of judges. Vote online here and buy tickets from here https://fatso.ma/Z7L8
