Tickets to events at most venues are available from the Aberdeen Box Office (tel. 01224/641-122; www.boxofficeaberdeen.com), open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6:30pm.
The Performing Arts
The Aberdeen Arts Centre, King Street (tel. 01224/635-208; www.digifresh.co.uk), has a 350-seat theater that is rented to professional and amateur groups hosting everything from poetry readings and plays to musical concerts in various styles. Ticket prices and performance times vary; call for information. Also on the premises is a 60-seat video projection theater that screens world cinema offerings, and ticket prices vary depending on what is showing but start at £6. A large gallery room holds month-long visual-art exhibitions. A cafe/bar, offering light meals and drinks, is open during performance times.
Near Tarves, about 32km (20 miles) from Aberdeen, you'll find Haddo House (tel. 01651/851-440), which hosts operas, ballets, and plays from Easter to October. An early-20th-century hall built of pitch pine, Haddo House is based on the Canadian town halls that Lord Aberdeen saw in his travels abroad. The hall was built for the people of the surrounding area on Aberdeen family land, and the present Lady Aberdeen still lives in a house on this property. Follow B9005, 29km (18 miles) north to Tarves, and then follow the National Trust and Haddo House signs 3km (1 3/4 miles) east to arrive here. Admittance to the house is £9 for adults, £6 for seniors and children, and £23 for a family ticket. The house is open March 31 to June 30 Friday to Monday from 11am to 5pm, July to August daily 11am to 5pm, September to November 7 Friday to Monday 11am to 5pm, the shop from 11am to 5pm, and the gardens from 9:30am to sunset. A stylish cafe offers light meals, tea, and other beverages daily, Easter to October, from 11am to 6pm.
The 19th-century Music Hall, Union Street (tel. 01224/641-122), is an ornately gilded 1,282-seat theater that stages concerts by the Scottish National Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, visiting international orchestras, and pop bands; it also hosts ceilidhs, crafts fairs, and book sales. Tickets for year-round musical performances average £14 to £32. The Aberdeen International Youth Festival is held annually in this hall in August, and features youth orchestras, choirs, and dance and theater ensembles. Daytime and evening performances are held, and tickets range from £8 to £20. Contact the Music Hall or the Aberdeen Box Office (above) for more information.
His Majesty's Theatre, Rosemount Viaduct (tel. 01224/641-122), was designed by Frank Matcham in 1906 and is the only theater in the world built entirely of granite. The interior is late Victorian, and the 1,445-seat theater stages operas, dance performances, dramas, classical concerts, musicals, and comedy shows year-round. Tickets range from £10 to £40.
A mixed venue is the Lemon Tree, 5 W. North St. (tel. 01224/642-230). Its 150-seat theater stages dance recitals, theatrical productions, and stand-up comedy, with tickets generally priced between £8 and £30. On Saturday, there's often a matinee at 2 or 3pm, and evening performances are at 7pm. Downstairs, the 500-seat cafe/theater hosts folk, rock, blues, jazz, and comedy acts, with shows starting between 8 and 10pm. On Sunday afternoon there's free live jazz.
Dance Clubs
DeNiro's, 120 Union St. (tel. 01224/640-641), has dancing to house music from 10pm until 2am on Friday and Saturday only. The cover charge is £10, but may vary depending on the guest DJ.
The Pelican, housed in the Hotel Metro, 17 Market St. (tel. 01224/583-275), offers dancing Thursday to Saturday 10pm to 2am. The cover charge on Thursday is £5 and Friday and Saturday £8. There's a live band every second Thursday of the month.
A Pub
The Prince of Wales, 7 St. Nicholas Lane (tel. 01224/640-597), in the heart of the shopping district, is the best place in the old city center to go for a pint. Furnished with pews in screened booths, it boasts Aberdeen's longest bar counter. At lunch, it's bustling with regulars who devour chicken in cider sauce or Guinness pie. On tap are such beers as Buchan Gold and Courage Directors. Orkney Dark Island is also sold here.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
