Look to your left for a low, bright granite Art Deco building with a wide entrance, tall window panels, and a big octagonal roof topped by a little cupola.
This is Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom, built in 1926, when going out dancing was cheaper than therapy and much better exercise. It’s Category B listed now, but it’s always had star power: the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Who, Cream… a whole parade of “before they were legends” nights happened under this roof. Step closer and you’re standing by one of its best tricks: the famous dance floor rides on about 1,400 steel springs, so the room quite literally moves with the crowd. If you ever feel the bounce, that’s not your sea legs.
Inside, the main hall is octagonal; it once had a proper dome, later hidden by a suspended ceiling. In 1963, they added the Star Ballroom extension, and after a major refurb from 2008 to 2010, it got a new polish without losing its soul. It’s still run by the city council, and there’s even a webcam pointed down the beach toward Footdee.
When you’re set, Linx Ice Arena is a 4-minute walk heading east.
