The Edinburgh Military Tattoo

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Set against the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, this 90 minute performance is a unique blend of music, ceremony, entertainment and theatre. Over 1,000 military and civilian performers gather for a breathtaking spectacle of music, history, dance and colour.

The Tattoo presents a host of international performers, military and civilian. Bands of all sizes and description have been joined by dancers, steel bands, flag-wavers, drill teams, zulus, camels, elephants, cavalry, motorcyclists, and police dogs. But at the heart of every Tattoo's universal appeal is the stirring sight and sound of the massed pipes and drums from the Scottish regiments.

From its early days, the Edinburgh Tattoo has been an international favourite. Performers from over 40 countries have presented here, and around 35 per cent of the 217,000 audience each year are from overseas.

In addition, the Tattoo has been televised in 30 countries. An annual television audience of 100 million watches the coverage worldwide.

The international flavour of the Tattoo has been deliberately developed as a key element in its capacity to entertain a huge, cosmopolitan audience.

 The word 'tattoo' in fact derives from the cry of inn-keepers in the Low Countries in the 17th and 18th centuries. At closing time, the fifes and drums of the local regiment would march through the streets, their music signalling a return to quarters, and the shout would go up - 'Doe den tap toe' ('turn off the beer taps'). From this a 'tattoo' became a ceremonial performance of military music by massed bands.

The range of music presented at the Edinburgh Tattoo is now as diverse as the countries represented; from pomp and circumstance to showbiz razzmatazz - with just about everything in between. Ending with a lone piper playing on the Castle ramparts the ambitious spectacle finishes on a spine tingling emotional note.

2010 marks the Diamond Jubilee Year of Edinburgh's celebrated Military Tattoo which will take place over the period 6-28 August with performances on Monday to Friday at 9.00pm and on Saturday at 7.30pm and 10.30pm.