The Bartenders Ball is heading East for the first time, complete with brand new Edinburgh Bar Awards celebrating the best of hospitality in Auld Reekie.
After three successful years in Glasgow, the legendary 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 exciting categories: Best Bar, Best Drink, Best Shake, Unsung Hero, and Rising Star.
The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, 16 September, at the atmospheric Caves during a lavish bash for bartenders known as the Bartenders Ball—a first for Edinburgh.
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This inaugural event will celebrate the exceptional talent within Edinburgh’s vibrant hospitality scene, spotlighting the city’s top bars and cocktails and industry professionals from hotels, bars, and restaurants.
The Edinburgh Bartenders Ball will support anyone working in the trade, offering a night to come together and unwind after a busy Fringe season.
With high-energy entertainment, eclectic performers, and guaranteed fun, previous balls 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, which cost £ 30 and are on sale now, are sure to sell out. The ticket includes drinks from premium brands, delicious street food, smoked barbecue classics, live music, entertainment, the Edinburgh Bar Awards, and many high-octane surprises.
David Smilie, co-founder and organiser of the Bar Awards and Bartender’s Ball, said: “It’s time to take the Bartenders Ball to Edinburgh! Edinburgh has such a talented and hardworking hospitality community that bringing the Ball and the Bar Awards to the capital makes perfect sense.
Hopefully, everyone will grab 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, the event is open to anyone who works in the hospitality industry, from brand ambassadors to bartenders.
Funds raised from the £25 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 licensed premises within the EH postcode. Winners will be selected after a comprehensive judging process involving industry votes and an esteemed panel of judges.
