May Day is arguably the biggest social event on the calendar for partygoers in Aberdeen.
Locals and tourists flock to their favourite bars, pubs and nightclubs across the city with celebrations kicking off early doors.
And one venue that I have stopped by year on year since 2018 (when coronavirus restrictions have allowed it) is Revolution on Belmont Street.
During all of my visits, Revolution – as well as the vast majority of bars located on the cobbled street – has been busting at the seams from around noon. Today was of no exception.
Tickets unsurprisingly sold out some time before the event.
I made my way to the venue at 12.30pm and presented my ticket. Well, that was after waiting patiently in the queue of fellow punters raring to make their way inside.
‘The best day of the year’
As soon as we stepped inside, the atmosphere had shifted drastically.
It went from being surrounded by increasingly agitated punters (with damp hair and clothing) to singing and dancing partygoers with drinks in both hands. Everyone was dressed in their best summer attire.
I even brought a pair of sunglasses hoping the sun would make an appearance. It didn’t, but in the end that was at the back of my mind.
We made our way through the crowd into the main bar and terrace area – yes, it was a struggle – and stumbled across a number of familiar faces.
One included Abby Ross from Turriff. She said: “The atmosphere is great. There’s a great range of old and new songs. And the DJs always keep the spirits up.
“This is my second May Day in Aberdeen and I would always choose to come back to Revolution,” continued Abby.
The music was blaring, a confetti cannon was let off on several occasions, and members of the Revolution team made their best attempts to dish out shots.
Stellar DJs
A line-up of DJs including Harry Crawley, Just Jamie, Hope, Kieran Ritchie, Mary Noble and Quants made sure the party continued well into the evening.
“Everyone’s in an amazing mood”, said Hannah Nicholson when asked about her thoughts on the music.
Hannah, from Aberdeen, added: “Even if the weather isn’t great, the terrace party and the DJs are great.”
As for my thoughts, I feel Revolution nails it every year without fail in terms of their DJ selection on May Day. They help mark the start of summer.
The drinks, albeit steeper in price than normal, went down well too.
Rory McDermott added: “I love meeting up will all my pals. It’s always a great atmosphere here [at Revolution].”
You can understand the menu being somewhat minimal given the ratio between bar staff and revellers. I never know how they manage to keep up with service.
Not enough hours in the day
Time passed scarily quickly within the five hours I spent soaking up the atmosphere in the cocktail bar.
For me, May Day in Aberdeen is a highlight of the year. You catch up with friends (old and new) and get to enjoy performances from impressive local and UK DJs.
For those of you keen to get in on the action at Revolution, the cocktail bar is hosting a second May Day next Sunday on May 7. I cannot recommend bagging yourself a ticket enough.
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