New player in town
Arcadia Bar and Games has recently opened in Aberdeen. The new Union Street venue boasts two floors of classic games, giant screens, skee-ball and pool.
Inspired by the retro game nostalgia trend which is sweeping the nightlife scene Stateside, Arcadia Bar and Games will also offer specially-curated cocktails from Granite City drink-maker 10 Dollar Shake, while food will be served up by Big Manny’s Pizza and IPAs from Fierce Beer will be on draught.
Both the bar and the arcade machines operate on a cashless basis with customers asked to use contactless payments to make their purchases. Visitors wanting to play the arcade machines will need to buy a playment card for £1, this can then be topped up with credit and reused on future visits to the new city centre nightspot.
Four legged friends are also welcome at Arcadia Bar and Games with water bowls and dog biscuits available on request.
Arcadia Bar and Games is open Sunday to Thursday from 12pm until 12am and on Friday and Saturday from 12pm until 2am.
Pictured - Danuta Dobrzanska, Sales Manager at Revolucion de Cuba
‘Think local’ when spoiling mum this Mother’s Day
Aberdeen residents are being encouraged to think local when spoiling their mum this Mother’s Day, supporting lots of other mums working in the city in the process.
City centre cocktail bar and restaurant Revolucion de Cuba is taking part in a national ‘Mums Love Local’ campaign to promote the Aberdeen Gift Card.
Danuta Dobrzanska, Sales Manager at Revolucion de Cuba, is joining mums from across Scotland and the rest of the UK, talking about being a working mum, and how supporting local benefits the community.
Danuta said: “Local businesses are vital for keeping our towns and cities vibrant. If we don’t go to our high street to get the things we want and need, our shops will disappear, and then when we do want to go out, the businesses won’t be here. We have to think about how we spend our money in these tough times.
“It’s very convenient to buy from Amazon, but having the experience of speaking to a person in the local shop and finding out their story is, for me, just as important for getting what you need.”
Danuta is mum to 14-month-old Teddy and works part-time five days a week at Revolucion De Cuba.
“Being a mum and working isn’t always the easiest but it’s very fulfilling, both on the mum side and the business side,” she said. “I’m very lucky to have an amazing general manager who is supportive. He understands that as much as I love my job and am passionate about my job, Teddy has to be a priority on some days, and it is amazing to have a team around me that supports me in my job and also as a mum.”
Revolucion De Cuba is one of almost 300 businesses where the Aberdeen Gift Card can be spent. The Aberdeen Gift Card was launched by Aberdeen Inspired in 2020 to encourage people to shop local.
Danuta adds: “We’re a part of the Aberdeen Gift Card because we strongly believe in supporting local, and always try to be a part of the community and support other businesses in the area.
“We have lots of people spending their Aberdeen Gift Card with us, and it is a very convenient way of paying for services and shopping because it just works like a regular card. It’s also very senior friendly, which I like, and offers a full day in the city.
“The restaurant is located in Academy Centre Courtyard and during covid everything around us was closed. This isn’t good for anyone’s business, the more coffee shops, art shops, gift shops we can have around us, the more footfall we all have.
“Giving your mum the Aberdeen Gift Card for Mother’s Day brings life back to the city because it has to be spent here in the city. Aberdeen is blessed with many fantastic restaurants and bars. At Revolucion de Cuba, we’re all about a little bit of escapism, from freshly cooked food to cocktails, so mum can forget about the cold weather and enjoy a bit of me-time.”
Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “Support for local is as vital as ever. The choice of an Aberdeen Gift Card as a Mother’s Day gift not only offers huge choice – with almost 300 shops, restaurants, bars, salons, hotels and arts venues ready to accept the card – but it provides a tangible cash injection to city centre businesses so we can keep our city thriving.”
Local gift cards giants Town & City Gift Cards are leading the national ‘Mums Love Local’ campaign, alongside Aberdeen Inspired.
Watch a clip of Danuta's interview below.
Pictured- Kenny Bruce, Operations Manager to Trinity Centre
'Load at Home' Aberdeen Gift Cards now available from The Trinity Centre
Aberdonians can now collect a load at home version (‘Load This Card’) of the Aberdeen Gift Card from the Trinity Centre. The Aberdeen Gift Card was launched by Aberdeen Inspired in 2020 and is now accepted at nearly 300 outlets across the city.
“Adding another collection point for the load at home cards means it is even easier for you to pick up a card when you’re next in the city,” said Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired.
“The Trinity Centre is in the heart of The Silver City. Close to both the train and bus stations, it’s a great spot for people to be able to pop in and pick up one of the load at home cards. These come with a card wallet and can be loaded with any value up to £150.
“The ability to load the Aberdeen Gift card at home makes it even more versatile.”
The Aberdeen Gift Card is a prepaid Mastercard which uses technology provided by Scottish tech firm Miconex.
Get the taste of Brazil in Aberdeen
Deliciosa! Estabulo Rodizio Bar and Grill is opening in Union Square on Wednesday 29 March. The restaurant honours the Brazilian Gaúcho’s traditional method of cooking. The most delicious and flavoursome cuts of meat are skewered and cooked slowly on open flames.
Rodizio refers to the restaurant’s serving style – the meat is served to you fresh at your table. You can eat as much or as little as you want and with a large selection of meats on offer you also have the chance to stick to familiar favourites or to branch out and try something new.
The restaurant also offers a selection of vegetarian, Halal and fish dishes and prides itself on delivering locally sourced food from the finest local suppliers using only the best ingredients.
Visit their website here.
Image credit- VisitAberdeenshire
A different side to the city
Two free tours offered by Scot Free tours promise to show a different side to Aberdeen.
The 2.5 hour Aberdeen City Centre walking tour gives participants a chance to learn that there’s more to Aberdeen than the energy industry, granite and the weather. The history tour entertains with tales of pirates, wizards, Harry Houdini and Lord Byron.
The tour focuses on a city centre route, which takes in the Castlegate, Marischal College, Provost Skene’s House, Union Terrace Gardens and St Nicholas Kirk, highlights Aberdeen’s social history, its quirky inhabitants and how it got to where it is today.
The Aberdeen City Centre walking tour starts at the Mercat Cross in the Castlegate. The route is a little over a mile and includes a couple of slightly steeper pavements and some steps.
Alternatively you can choose to discover the stories the old road into Aberdeen has to tell. These include battles, kidnappings and tales of a martyred monk. Starting from outside Contour Café on The Green, The Old(er) Aberdeen Scot Free Tour lasts 1.5 to 2 hours and brings to life what used to be Aberdeen’s most important road; guaranteeing you’ll never think of it as an unappealing back alley again.
Book Now — Scot Free Tours to guarantee your place on a walking tour.
Scot Free Tours is the top-ranked tour provider in Aberdeen, collecting TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence in 2018 and 2019. The company also received a Travellers’ Choice Award in 2021.
Aberdeen Student Festival to raise funds for Aberdeen Cyrenians
Aberdeen Student Festival is taking place from Thursday, 30 March to Saturday, 1 April, with the theme of ‘creative connections’.
Over three days, the students will run four events in support of local charity, Aberdeen Cyrenians.
Kicking off proceedings is Neon Night which takes place at Prohibition from 7pm on Thursday, 30 March. The neon inspired music event includes the chance to compete against your friends in giant Jenga, ring toss and beer pong. Each game provides an opportunity to win points and we all know that points mean prizes. Tickets cost £5 and this event is for those aged 18 and over.
The second event of Aberdeen Student Festival 2023 will take place on Friday, 31 March at the Copthorne Hotel. Billed as a chance to ‘wear the outfit you never got to wear’ the Night at the Masquerade includes food and entertainment with live music running alongside fun fundraising activities. Tickets are for over 18s and prices range from £9 for super early bird tickets through to £15 for general sale tickets.
Next up is the Arty Tea Party. Those looking for a fun, casual event on Saturday, April 1 should head to Brewdog at Castlegate. Running from 1pm until 4.30pm the Arty Tea Party is an all-abilities painting workshop followed by afternoon tea. Local sip and paint host, Red Zandolee will be on hand to ensure that no matter whether you’re a Picasso or a Picass-no you’ll have your own masterpiece to take home. There will be limited early bird tickets available for £16 each, while the general sale ticket price will be £20.
A Scottish Ceilidh with live band, traditional Ceilidh dances and a bagpiper will round off the festival. A Night O’ Jiggin’ is being held at the Park Inn by Radisson from 7pm until 10.30pm on April 1. Guests will be served a complimentary drink on arrival and finger food will provide the necessary energy to keep the dancing going.
Organised by third-year students from RGU, the festival is a chance to raise funds for Aberdeen Cyrenians. The Aberdeen-based charity provides care and support for vulnerable people in the North-east, with the aim of building hope, health and happiness.
Tickets will be on sale soon for Neon Night, Masquerade, the Arty Tea Party and Night O’ Jiggin’.
More information about Aberdeen Student Festival, including ticket sales can be found here or follow on Instagram here.
New BID meeting dates announced for Spring 2023
We are pleased to announce the next BID meeting will take place in May and June.
Throughout the year, our Business Engagement Manager continues to support and develop a number of BID Networks - including West End/Uptown, Union Street, Merchant Quarter and Belmont Street.
The BID Networks influence local policy and planning and help to generate ideas to improve city centre areas including place making projects and city centre marketing. At the meetings businesses will hear key project updates from Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen City Council, Police Scotland and other relevant partners.
The Union Street meeting will take place on 15 June at 3pm, West End/ Uptown on 6 June for a ‘breakfast meeting’ at 7.30am, Merchant Quarter meeting to be held on 11 May at 3pm and the Belmont Street area meeting on 9 May at 3pm.
Further information about the BID meetings can be found here.
If you wish to attend one of these BID meetings or would like further information, please email our Business Engagement Manager roule.wood@aberdeeninspired.com
Have your say on planning guidance for Aberdeen
Aberdeen City Council is gathering the views of the public on planning guidance documents which will support the new Local Development Plan 2023.
You can view and have your say on the Aberdeen Supplementary Guidance and Aberdeen Planning Guidance documents.
These will sit alongside and support the Proposed Local Development Plan 2020 (as modified), which once adopted, will become the new Local Development Plan 2023.
The documents provide more detailed information on the policies and sites contained within the plan. You can have your say before 21 April.
For more information and to comment click here.
Egg-stra special Easter Egg Appeal launched at Trinity Centre
The Trinity Centre has officially cracked open its Easter Egg Appeal for 2023, which will see thousands of chocolate eggs distributed to local children’s charities, hospitals, hostels, creches and family centre.
This year’s appeal is egg-stra special as it marks the 20th anniversary of the annual charity event – which has collected an amazing 56,655 eggs from shoppers and businesses over the years!
The last appeal collected a record breaking 5,871 eggs and it’s hoped this year could be the most egg-cellent yet!
Linda Stewart, General Manager of the Trinity Centre, said: “The generosity of Aberdeen’s community and businesses never ceases to amaze and I’m sure that this year will be no different. As we all look to recover from the pandemic and in these current challenging times, your donation could make a big difference to someone this Easter and help put a smile onto a local child’s face.
“Our last appeal we collected over 5,800 Easter eggs and to celebrate our 20th appeal we’d love to match or exceed last year’s total and with everyone’s help and support; we think we can make this the most successful appeal yet”.
To donate a chocolate Easter egg, head to the drop-off point, which is marked by a large Perspex egg, or hand it in to the level 2 management suite before 31 March.
The team can also accept cash donations via the money slot on the large egg, which will be used to buy Easter eggs on your behalf.
The centre is also looking for local businesses, workplaces and schools to get involved by organising their very own Easter Egg drive. For more details, call 01224 580076 or email linda.stewart@trinityaberdeen.co.uk or Kenneth.bruce@trinityaberdeen.co.uk
New outlets sign up to accept Aberdeen Gift Card
Recipients of the Aberdeen Gift Card now have even more options for spending their gift, with Innoflate and Jopps Motorcycles signing up to accept the card.
Innoflate, an inflatable theme park at Aberdeen beach, and Jopps Motorcycles, a family run motorcycle MOT station, service and repair garage on Jopp’s Lane, have joined around 300 outlets across the city which now take the card.
The Aberdeen Gift Card can be preloaded with up to £500 when purchased at the Bon Accord Centre and spent at a huge variety of outlets across the city, ensuring the value is kept in the local area.
The Aberdeen Gift Card, which is also available as an e-card, can be used in participating venues including shops such as Primark and Marks & Spencer, bars, restaurants, beauty salons and Aberdeen Performing Arts venues and box office.
Physical versions of the Aberdeen Gift Card, which can be sent to the recipient by post, are available online and from the bespoke shop in the Bon Accord shopping centre or collect a card pack at the Trinity Centre-Suite 2 to load online at home.
For more information and to buy the Aberdeen Gift Card click here.
Find out why the Aberdeen Gift Card makes the perfect employee reward at a free webinar
There are lots of reasons why companies looking for ways to recognise and appreciate employees amid the cost-of-living crisis need look no further than the Aberdeen Gift Card.
Not only does it offer the biggest choice of local and national products and services to spend it on but gifting the card to employees can be tax free.
Part of The Town & City Gift Card group who operate more than 80 cards schemes in the UK, you are invited to join a free webinar on Wednesday 29 March at 2pm or 4pm to hear why you should make the Aberdeen Gift Card your employee reward of choice either to replace or supplement existing staff reward schemes with the as a local alternative.
You’ll hear first-hand from organisations who have adopted their local gift card, why they have done so, what the tax benefits are and how easy it is to place orders and make the switch.
Links to the webinar and further information can be found below – feel free to join either one.
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