Businesses gear up for the grand opening of the V&A Museum.

Dundee prepares to welcome huge influx of visitors

V&A fever is spreading throughout Dundee as businesses gear up to welcome thousands of extra visitors during the museum’s opening weekend.

Bars across the city are promising to shake things up when the £80.1 million attraction opens its doors in midseptember, with a variety of cocktails themed around the museum.

The Apex, Malmaison and Bird & Bear are just some of the nightspots which have been working on specialist drinks.

Hotels say they are close to capacity while Scotrail and Stagecoach have vowed to put on extra trains and buses.

The museum will officially open on Saturday September 15 with a free twoday 3D Festival to mark the occasion – headlined by Scots rockers Primal Scream.

Apex barman David Montgomery has created two cocktails in celebration called The Victoria, and The Albert.

Both cocktails feature local Verdant gin, Aperol and Mackays marmalade gin alongside grapefruit liqueur.

Ronnie Mackay, general manager at Apex Hotel, said excitement was building by the day.

He said: “We are in a prime spot right on the quay, so our guests will be right in the heart of all the action when the V&A opens its doors. Bookings are looking extremely healthy during opening week and throughout the following weekends into October. We anticipate this will continue through the autumn and winter months.

“We’re also working with the V&A team on some other very special plans (for the opening weekend) which we’ll reveal soon – so watch this space.”

The Malmaison, just a stone’s throw away from the museum, will offer a Speed & Style cocktail – a nod to the V&A’S first exhibition celebrating the world’s greatest-ever vessels.

A spokesperson said: “The hotel is almost fully booked the week of the opening. We are hoping that the trend will continue, and that V&A will bring a lot of tourists to Dundee.”

Meanwhile, transport firms are also making plans for the opening weekend.

A Scotrail spokesman said: “It’s going to be a hugely exciting weekend for Dundee, and we’re delighted to be adding extra carriages to get everyone to and from the City of Discovery.”

A Stagecoach spokeswoman said the firm was “working on options” to put on more buses to the city.

She said: “We intend to duplicate journeys around the opening to ensure we can cater for the additional customers expected to visit the V&A.

“We are also working on publishing a ‘guide to getting to the V&A’, highlighting all our available bus services, where they stop and frequencies.”

Picture: Gareth Jennings. Apex bar manager Anna Baker-patch with the two specially-named cocktails.