Introducing…Spirit of North Hop Dundee – The Festival of Discovery
In less than 3 weeks time the Apex Hotel City Quay Suite and Marquee in Dundee will transform into a botanical haven for food and drink lovers!
I’m Michelle Russell, Festival Director and I’m going to tell you a bit more on why you do not want to miss this festival,
Key Details
Saturday 24 November at Apex Hotel, Dundee, 2 Sessions – 1 pm till 5 pm and 6 pm till 10 pm.
Tickets are £25 per session and include your festival glass and a 5ml taster from all 18 distilleries attending.
For those people visiting from further afield, special festival accommodation deals are available from Apex Hotel and Hotel Indigo Dundee. Full details can be found on the website – http://northhop.co.uk/festivals/spiritofnorthhop
No token system will be in place (hurrah!) so most bars/stands will be cash only but some may have mobile card facilities.
Getting to and from the festival
The venue is located very handily within the Dundee Waterfront area with the train station an easy 10 minutes walk away. The bus station also only 5 minutes walk away.
Parking at the hotel is possible but is limited but there are a number of public car parks very close by.
Festival Highlights
We will have 18 distilleries from across Scotland at this festival. They aren’t just gin distilleries and this most definitely isn’t another one of those gin festivals! The Marquee will be a botanical wonderland featuring some brand new to market spirits along with some old favourites. As well as offering up tasters each distillery will also have special drinks lists showcasing their spirits in serves and cocktails, and if you really like what you try each will have bottles available to take home. The menus have started coming in already and boy are the festival go’ers in for a treat! Keep an eye on our social media channels for all the latest updates on the vendor offerings.
Full distillery line up
Never 25, Arbikie, Strathearn Distillery, Sweetdram, Mothership Scotland, Wemyss Malts, Darnley’s Gin, Kingsbarns Distillery, Illicit Spirits, St Andrews Gin Co, Lindores Abbey Distillery, LoneWolf Spirits, Electric Spirit Co, Shetland Reel, Lundin Distilling, The Port of Leith Distillery, Pilgrim’s Gin, The Garden Shed Drinks Co, The Orkney Distillery.
To keep things completely unique we are creating some fun/funky pop-up bar areas in the City Quay Suite – a colourful Rum Bar from The King of Islington, recent winners of SLTN Awards ‘Rum Bar of the Year’ title, an American-style Dive Bar from newbie on the scene Abandon Ship Bar (this Dundee bar hasn’t even opened yet so this is a complete sneak peek of what it will be like!), a Beer Garden from local brewing legends 71 Brewing and an Orchard-Inspired prosecco/cider bar from our very own North Hop Bar.
And then there’s the food!
American/Canadian-style comfort food from Down the Hatch (think poutine and loaded burgers), Veggie/Vegan delights from Faceplant Foods (never tried a Bulgogi Jackfruit Roll…now’s your chance), Mexican street food from Muchacho (tacos are life), Spanish tapas from Moskito Spanish Bites (deep fried calamari, enough said), and last but not least Apex Hotel will be bringing a taste of India to the festival (lamb kofta naanwich anyone?).
Craving something sweet after all the savoury then worry not, head for Rolly’s Ice Cream for some boozy infused rolled ice cream treats or artisan brownies from the legendary Artisana, all washed down with delicious coffee from local roasters Sacred Grounds Coffee Company.
Shopping
For those of you looking to pick up some early (dare we say it!) Christmas presents or perhaps even a treat for yourself head to the Tea Green Pop-Up Market to discover and meet a whole host of lovely local makers showcasing their wares. And if you want to jazz up your ‘festival look’ then Caleb Loves Lily will be on hand with more colourful feathers and flower garlands than Mardi Gras! North Hop will also have a special ‘In the Mix’ stand in the Marquee where you can pick up a whole host of Scottish mixers and soft drinks to enjoy at the festival or at home.
Music
And last but not least, no North Hop festival would be complete without some live music to set the vibe. Check out the acoustic stage in the Marquee for some amazingly talented local acts – Amy Bryant, The Arcades, holy snakes and Future Firsthand, with Dundee favourites The Vintage Girls closing both sessions. Or if DJ’s are more your thing head for the City Quay Suite to listen to some sweet tunes from DJ Ryan B or Jamie Stewart.
Making a weekend of it
We’ve already mentioned festival accommodation deals but who’s up for some pre-party, after-party and recovery brunch action with our friends from Bird & Bear? Expect lots of awesome spirits, some amazing cocktails, sweet tunes and unlimited good times! And for the hardcore night owls we’ll all be heading to 3 Session Street after Bird & Bear for the official after after-party to continue the good times and cocktail times!
If you fancy taking in the festival from a completely different viewpoint, then check out Dundee Photo Tours who will be running a special one-off photography tour of the festival. If there’s a group of you and you want to stay somewhere fun, funky and luxurious then Urban Quarters is the place to be. You will get a taste of how fabulous they are at the festival with their special ‘Urban Lounge’ area.
A TREAT FROM US TO YOU – DISCOUNTED ENTRY:
After reading that lot we’re pretty sure you’ll be jumping at the bit to get those tickets bought but how about a cheeky discount to make the deal even sweeter!? Use code BOYSEATSCOTLAND at checkout to get 10% off your ticket. VISIT https://northhop.co.uk/festivals/spiritofnorthhop to buy your tickets
Go, go, go and enjoy!
Slainte!
Michelle
Noth Hop Dundee