Thousands of revellers flocked to Aberdeen city centre today for May Day celebrations.
DJ sets, events and parties starting as early as 12pm, got under way across the Granite City’s bars and clubs.
One of the most highly anticipated days in the north-east calendar, tickets were sold out weeks ago – with prices reaching up to £54.
With a bank holiday today, Sunday May 4 was the perfect time for a celebrations to get started – with the party expected to continue well into the wee hours of the morning.
Bars and clubs have been putting on extra staff and ordering extra staff for the occasion, meanwhile, youngsters are gearing up for an all-night affair.
We asked revellers what they thought of the holiday. We also asked bar workers about how they were preparing for the big event.
Punters give their thoughts
The first crowd we ran into were students Amy, Hannah and Ella – who are all 18 years old.
They have tickets for Vodka Revolution and Soul and have waited patiently for this day since booking it in January.
Amy told The Press and Journal: “These two go to Glasgow and Edinburgh Uni so they came home specifically for this night.
“We were asking people in Glasgow if people had heard of it and literally no-one had – it was strange!
“It’s just the night out you can rely on, everyone comes out for today – everyone has a bit of a drink and it’s really good fun.”
When asked when their night would end, Ella answered: “For as long as possible!”
Also speaking to The P&J on a lads’ night out were a group six, headed up by Gregor, Zane and Layton – also all 18 – and they revealed their plans for the night ahead.
Gregor said: “For us, this is bigger than New Year. We’ve been waiting for this for months.
“This is our biggest day of the year.
“No-one has heard of it outside of here, but honestly its the best night – it’s the only time you’ll see everyone out.”
Zane added: “I had someone offer me £90 for one of my tickets a few days ago, the demand is crazy.”
We also spoke to group of four Owen Duncan, 32, Marcus Chalk, 26, Lee Duncan , 27, and Ben Hadden.
Owen joked : “It’s an all day event we planned but we are not sure we are going to make it until the end!”
He continued: You can’t beat May Day especially when the weather is good, by 4pm it gets absolutely heaving.”
Lee added: “I’m from Inverurie, and we all look forward to it there as well. It’s a great day out.”
May Day is Aberdeen’s ‘second Christmas’ for pub bosses
Michelle Jamieson, 29, is the deputy manager for Slain’s on Belmont Street and she was preparing for one of the pub’s “biggest days.”
She said: “Us based on Belmont Street is huge, the street is going to be packed end to end. This is the place to be.
“This is probably one of our biggest days for sure – other than Christmas – it will be our most crazy.”
She revealed that her and her staff have been stocking up for the big day.
She said: “It’s mostly the main spirits as well as Strongbow Dark Fruits that we have more of, things the younger crowd tend to like, so hopefully it’s enough.
“We also have Saturday-level staffing on here, it’s all hands on deck – but we have an experienced team and they all know how it goes.
Veteran hospitality worker Meg Innes, 68, has worked in Aberdeen’s bars for over 40 years, and told us of how big a day it is in the Granite City.
She said: “It’s strange how May Day seems to be the biggest night out in Aberdeen, it isn’t quite like that in other places.”
She added: “We have been excited for this day, it’s always fun.
“I have such great memories of working on this day – and also going out and getting a bit drunk on this day!
“We used to march from pub to pub back in the glory days of May Day, and they are some of my favourite memories.”
John Wymess, new owner of The Old King’s Highway, also said that May Day is like “a second Christmas” for Aberdeen.
He said: “May Day is really crucial for us. For our trade, this is like a second Christmas.
“If we were not busy on May Day – and the whole weekend to be honest – then I might start to worry!”
Check out all the best pictures from May Day 2025: In photos: Aberdeen City Centre comes alive with May Day fun
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