They see me Aperol’in, they hatin’.
Naturally, a big part of summer is taking a dip in the crystal clear waters of a swimming pool. And posing by said pool, drink in hand, is arguably an even bigger part of summer. Taking that philosophy to glorious extremes are tangerine dreamers Aperol, who are launching the Aperol Spritz Big Birthday Social at the Shoreditch Electric Light Station next month – complete with a giant orange Aperol Lido, and a flowing orange waterfall.
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Now that’s a birthday bash we can get on board with! Aperol was first created 100 years ago in Padua, so having reached such a ripe old age deserves an appropriately extra celebration. Inspired by Venice’s original seaside Lido, and sitting at the heart of a sun-kissed courtyard, the Aperol Lido is – sadly – not filled with actual Aperol (for obvious health reasons), but still looks the part.
Guests are invited to dip their toes in the water, or gently bob about on a very on-trend orange slice float. You can also head for the huge waterfall, but if seating is at a premium, you’d do well to heed the sage advice of TLC: don’t go chasing waterfalls. Happily, the Aperol Lido will also boast Fiat 500 hot tubs, where you can take a lazy soak amongst the bubbles.
Speaking of things that fizz, you’ll find Aperol Spritz in plentiful supply here – especially at the revolving Vespa carousel bar. We’d recommend you don’t have too many before you tackle the cocktail-glass shaped ballpit, though.
The Aperol Lido arrives in Shoreditch on May 23rd, and sticks around until June 1st – although they’ll take a wee break on the 27th & 28th. Rumour has it they’ll be heading to Manchester later in the summer, too. Tickets will cost you £10, which includes two Aperol Spritz and a range of Italian aperitivo, and you can find them here. All that’s left to do is dust off the sunglasses to stop you being blinded by all that orange!