Welcome to your latest IN Touch newsletter
Aberdeen’s Christmas starts today as the wonderful Christmas Village welcomes the first of thousands of people who will enjoy its fun and excitement over the festive season.
And with Curated In The Quad – the unique and atmospheric festive market we organise with our charity partners, Charlie House – opening its doors for six weekends from tomorrow, Broad Street and surrounds really will be the place to get into the festive spirit.
Of course, neither the village nor the market happen by accident. It takes months of planning and hard work by all the partners involved – the team here at Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen City Council, Codona’s and Charlie House.
Everyone who puts so much passion – and sweat – into making the Village and Curated In The Quad a big, sparkly reality deserves well-earned thanks.
It will be so rewarding to see people flocking to the bright lights, attractions, food vendors and skating rink of the Village, plus the unique stalls in the Quad offering the finest work by talented north-east producers and curators.
And, for the first time, the Village will boast a big wheel – all the better to offer a bird’s-eye view of this special celebration of all things Christmassy.
Also, I have no doubt people heading for this Yuletide extravaganza – not only one of the biggest in Scotland, but now ranked fifth in the UK – will stay on in the city centre, go further afield and give a welcome boost to the many shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and other attractions Aberdeen has to offer.
Here at Aberdeen Inspired, we are on a mission to help people get the most out of Christmas In Aberdeen, including working with Stagecoach and Aberdeen City Council to offer night buses across the City and Shire to help people get home safely after a night out.
This is going to be, as the song says, the most wonderful time of the year, so come out enjoy it with your friends, family and colleagues.
Let’s make this a marvellous and merry Christmas.
Read my opinion piece on the Aberdeen Christmas Village here.
Best wishes,
Adrian Watson, Chief Executive, Aberdeen Inspired
Stories
Curated In The Quad offers a unique festive market in the heart of the city centre
It’s not just a Christmas market… it’s a Curated In The Quad Christmas market.
And for six weekends from tomorrow, you can find the finest producers and creatives in the north-east, offering their unique wares at Curated In The Quad in the heart of Marischal College’s quadrangle.
Aberdeen Inspired and charity Charlie House, who are organising this special event, were delighted with the response when we asked for stallholders to take part.
Curated In The Quad will bring a special atmosphere to the Aberdeen Christmas Village, allowing people to find goods and gifts they can’t get anywhere else, while raising money for the much-needed work of Charlie House.
Find out more about the stallholders here.
Read more about the story here.
Meet a Curated In The Quad stallholder, ready to bring extra sparkle to the market
Artist, illustrator and writer Catherine Redgate will be one of the stallholders making Curated In The Quad a special festive market for Aberdeen.
We caught up with this talented creative to find out why she loves being part of Curated In The Quad, which unique things people will find at her stall, and why she things it is such a special event.
You can watch our video chat with Catherine above. Catherine will be at Curated in the Quad the first five weekends.
See the full stallholder line-up for each week here.
Christmas in Aberdeen is set to be a glittering affair
The opening of Aberdeen Christmas Village today (Thursday, 16th November) kick starts the festive celebrations in the Granite City.
From all the fun of the fair, to a special festive market, Santa parades to the switching on off the Christmas Tree lights, Aberdeen will be hosting one of the biggest and brightest Yuletide parties in Scotland.
You can find out all about what’s on offer to make this a real gift of a Christmas in Aberdeen by visiting here.
Win your dream Christmas with a competition to bag a £1,000 Aberdeen Gift Card
Aberdeen Inspired has unveiled its Win Your Dream Christmas competition with a £1,000 Aberdeen Gift Card as a prize, giving one lucky winner the chance to enjoy all of their favourite things this Christmas.
The magical festive giveaway comes as even more Granite City retailers sign up for the hugely successful scheme that supports local businesses and helps keep the city centre thriving.
The Aberdeen Gift Card can now be spent with more than 350 businesses, including shops, bars, restaurants, and attractions giving people an easy way to support local.
Find out more and enter here. Competition closes on 8 December.
Image credit - Pamela Raith
Noises Off brings brilliant classic farce to His Majesty’s Theatre
Noises Off is a rollicking great comedy that had the audience at His Majesty's Theatre on their feet with a well-deserved standing ovation on opening night.
With this classic exercise in farce and slapstick running until Saturday, it's a great night out at the theatre.
You can read our review of Noises Off here.
Planning a night out at the weekend? Take the night bus home
Stagecoach Bluebird continue their weekend night buses from midnight on Fridays and Saturdays until 15 January.
Get home safely from midnight into the early hours, departing at Union Square with buses serving many locations throughout the city, as well as major north-east towns such as Stonehaven, Portlethen, Banchory, Westhill and Ellon. Customers can travel to any stop along the route.
The night buses will support the recovery of Aberdeen’s night-time economy, encouraging more people to enjoy the city’s restaurants, bars and other venues by offering a safe way home for revellers and hospitality workers.
Full timetables and further information can be found here.
Video credits - Aberdeen City Council
City council releases videos on routes into town that avoid bus gates
Aberdeen City Council has produced a series of videos for motorists showing suggested routes into the city centre while avoiding the bus gates now that enforcement has come into effect.
The aim is to give drivers an idea of how to reach destinations, including car parks, by using routes different to those they are used to.
You can find the videos as well as information on the road changes here.
Meanwhile, the Aberdeen Inspired team wants to remind levy payers the council’s consultation period on these road changes is due to end on 23rd January.
It’s important that your views on this important issue are aired by completing the council’s survey and sharing your specific concerns and feedback on the scheme. You can find the survey here.
Moving display on Aberdeen letters to remember the city’s Fallen
Aberdeen Inspired was proud to play a part in the Granit City’s Remembrance Day with a moving display, including poppies, on the Aberdeen letters which are now in Union Terrace Gardens.
We felt it was only fitting to honour the Fallen with this special tribute, especially as the letters are just a short distance away from the War Memorial at Cowdray Hall.
At Aberdeen Inspired, we acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of all those who serving their country and acknowledge our responsibility to work for the peace they fought hard to achieve.
Meet The Levy Payer: Geek Retreat Aberdeen
Just a step off the heart of Union Street is a world full of magic, epic adventure, dragons, dungeons – and really tasty milkshakes. Welcome to Geek Retreat Aberdeen.
It’s a place where people can come together to share – or discover – a love of role-playing and trading card games and immerse themselves in “geeky” culture with like-minded folk, said Scott Leslie, managing director of Geek Retreat Aberdeen.
Here he tells us more about this beacon of popular culture – from Pokemon to Yu-Gi-Oh! - his hopes for the next 12 months and why being slap-bang in the middle of Union Street is magic.
Wish to be featured in a coming Meet the Levy Payers interview? Email Scott.begbie@aberdeenspired.com
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