Everything you need to know about this year's Edinburgh Cocktail Festival

Now in its third year, ECW is back bigger than ever. While the main focus will be the Cocktail Village in Festival Square – complete with nineteen pop-up bars – there are over seventy bars taking part all over the city, offering cut-price cocktails for wristband-brandishers as far afield as Leith, Stockbridge and Bruntsfield.

This handy map gives you a comprehensive guide to all the bars involved, as well as outlining the special events taking place. Speaking of which…

Special Events All Week

Are you a gin fan? A whisky lover? Or even a yogi-in-the-making? There are unique events for all tastes during ECW.

While unfortunately a few have already sold out – namely the Fingal Cocktail Evening, the Beefeeter Gin Class and the Classic Movie and Cocktail Night – there’s still time to snap up a great value afternoon tea at the Waldorf Astoria Caledonian, spend an evening with Eden Mill Gin at the Apex Waterloo, take a trip around the new Holyrood Distillery or join a special Seedlip-endorsed yoga class. Take a look at what’s on offer here.

A Cocktail Forest

A new addition to Edinburgh Cocktail week can be found once you venture inside the Cocktail Village itself – an enchanted forest area complete with giant toadstools, a wigwam and starry sky twinkling through the forest canopy.

Lose yourself in this magical getaway as you enjoy a bespoke cocktail.

Cocktail Domes

As well as the main Cocktail Village, special ‘cocktail domes’ – the first of their kind in the city – will be appearing on the Rooftop Terrace of The Glasshouse boutique hotel, serving £4 cocktails to wristband-holders and offering spectacular views of Calton Hill and the rest of the city.

Domes can be booked in advance and availability is limited but, to avoid disappointment, a number of domes will be free-to-enter on a first-come basis. Click here to find out more.

The Edinburgh Cocktail Week runs from Monday 14th to Sunday 20th of October.

Wristbands cost £6 for weekday access, £8 for the weekend or £13.50 for the whole seven days and give you full access to the Cocktail Village, the Rooftop Terrace at the Glasshouse and £4 cocktails in every participating bar in Edinburgh. Full details can be found on the Edinburgh Cocktail Week website.