WHAT: North Hop Aberdeen
WHERE: Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre
WHEN: Friday 14th and Saturday 15th April (Easter weekend)
ROVING food and drink extravaganza, North Hop, is set to return to the Granite City during the Easter weekend and according to organisers, the third Aberdeen edition of this popular event in the Scottish food and drink calendar is selling out fast.
North Hop Aberdeen, a beguiling blend of beer hall, cocktail lounge and barn dance, will take place over three sessions on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th April at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
This year’s North Hop Aberdeen also features Scots Bake Off star-turned-brewer, James Morton, who will be chatting to visitors and signing copies of his new book, Brew.
North Hop first popped up in Aberdeen in 2015 at the city’s Lemon Tree venue but demand for a subsequent festival was so high it moved to AECC, where nearly 2,000 visitors lapped up the experience last year.
This year, festival go-ers are promised a plethora of new taste sensations and sounds.
Aberdeen-based Fierce Beer will be unveiling a brand new festival brew while LoneWolf Spirits (Brewdog’s distillation offshoot) will present their one-off festival gin. Dunbar-based cider makers, Thistly Cross, will offer up a special festival cider.
Festival organiser, Michelle Russell, said: “North Hop Aberdeen is always a runaway success. People just can’t get enough of it and we have capacity for 1,000 people per session.
“There’s an exciting food and drink scene in drinks in the north east of Scotland and beyond and it’s always fascinating to find out what the various producers are bringing to North Hop.
“This year, Fierce Beer are brewing up a zingy-sounding festival beer which features grapefruit in it giving it a funky pink look. We also have recently-established Glasgow-based boutique brewers, Out of Town Brewing, exhibiting with us for the first time who will bring two brand new, never-tried-before beers.
“Former Great British Bake Off finalist, James Morton, is one of the Out of Town partners and he will be there, chatting to visitors and signing copies of his latest book, Brew, an easy-to-follow guide to home brewing.”
A key component of every edition of North Hop is the music, with emerging acts playing at all three sessions on the Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.
Aberdeen four-piece band, The Little Kicks, whose unique blend of heartfelt electronic indie rock music has earned them the title ‘Band of the Year’ from The Scotsman, will be playing North Hop Aberdeen out on the closing Saturday night session.
Other Aberdeen-based acts playing include ex-Royal Marine turned singer-songwriter, Nicky Aiken, playing with his band, The Temple Sons and The Deportees, described as singing “harmony-laden multi-way vocals”, which are “a bit folk, a bit rock, a bit country, a bit pop”.
Michelle dreamed up the North Hop concept in early 2014, having noticed a proliferation of craft beer festivals and gin festivals appearing in the US and parts of the south east of England.
Since the first North Hop took place in Inverness in the summer of 2014, this travelling festival has popped up in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aviemore and Aberdeen.
For North Hop Aberdeen, the festival’s popular Hop Sessions will offer discerning food and drink lovers short tastings delivered for small groups held during the main festival sessions in an additional room.
Festival favourite, Nicola McAlley, better known as STV’s Highland and Islands news correspondent, will act as MC, guiding visitors through the North Hop Aberdeen experience.
TAKING PART IN NORTH HOP ABERDEEN:
Breweries:
Thistly Cross Cider (Dunbar)
Fierce Beer (Aberdeen)
Spey Valley Brewery (Keith)
St Andrews Brewing Co (St Andrews)
BrewDog (with their travelling bar, Truck Norris) (Ellon)
Out of Town Brewing (Glasgow)
Brewgooder (Edinburgh)
Bars:
10 Dollar Shake (Aberdeen)
Porter’s Gin (Aberdeen)
Inshriach Gin (Nr Aviemore)
LoneWolf Spirits (Ellon)
Poco Prosecco (Edinburgh)
Food:
FreshMex (Aberdeen)
Fresh Revolution (Edinburgh)
The Bay on the Road (Stonehaven)
Melt (Aberdeen)
The Pantry Tuck Truck (Edinburgh)
Foodstory (Aberdeen)
Market traders:
Esker Spirits (Royal Deeside)
Linton & Co (Roving)
Aelder (Edinburgh)
Pop-ups:
Dapper & Coo (Fri Evening)
Juniper Press (Sat Afternoon)
Whimsical Lush (Sat Evening)
North Hop Aberdeen music acts and stage times
Friday evening session:
7.45pm – Acoustic – The Sea Atlas
8.45pm – Acoustic – Craig John Davidson
9.45pm – Acoustic – Hugh Kelly
10.45pm – Band – Nicky Aiken & The Temple Sons
Saturday afternoon session:
12.45pm – Acoustic – Willson Gray
1.45pm – Acoustic – Daniel Mutch
2.45pm – Acoustic – The Harmonica Movement
3.45pm – Band – The Deportees
Saturday evening session:
7.45pm – Acoustic – Katie Mackie
8.45pm – Acoustic – The Great Bear
9.45pm – Acoustic – The Capollos
10.45pm – Band – The Little Kicks
ENDS
Contact details:
WEBSITE northhop.co.uk
FACEBOOK facebook.com/northhop
TWITTER @northhop
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/northhop
HASHTAG #northhopabz
Notes for editors:
Friday 14th April 2017 – evening session – 7pm till 12am
Saturday 15 April 2017 – afternoon session 12pm oil 5pm
Saturday 15 April 2017 – evening session – 7pm till 12am
Wristbands will be issued to allow re-entry during sessions.
All bars and stands at the festival will be worked on a cash (some may have card facilities) basis and no token system will be in place. Strictly over 18’s only.
For more information or images please contact Michelle Russell on 07554 010082 or email michelle@snowmarketing.co.uk or Jan Patience on 07802 427207/janpatience@me.com
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Snow Marketing contact details…
Contact: Jan Patience
Phone: 07802427207
Email: janpatience@me.com
Website: http://www.northhop.co.uk
