OVER 120,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED RECORD-BREAKING PRODUCTION AT ANZ STADIUM
The largest Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo ever was staged at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park from 17 – 19 October 2019.
Set against a full-size replica of Edinburgh Castle, the renowned Scottish spectacular brought together 1521 of the world’s finest pipers, drummers, military musicians and performers for an inimitable mix of music, ceremony, military tradition, theatre and Celtic folklore.
Audiences were treated to a culturally diverse production with 33 musical, folkloric and military groups including 297 of the very best Pipers and Drummers, 630 Military performers, 42 Shetland Fiddlers, 102 Tattoo Dancers, 4 Indigenous Song Men and 195 Cultural Performers from Australia and abroad.
The word tattoo is derived from a Dutch word for the signal played on a drum or bugle to summon soldiers back to their barracks at night. The term evolved in the 18th century to mean a form of evening performances given by military bands. Dating back almost 70 years, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was inspired by a simple show called Something About a Soldier performed in 1949 at the Ross Bandstand below Edinburgh Castle.
From a modest event in a park, the Tattoo has become a worldwide phenomenon, with a remarkable live audience of 220,000 at Edinburgh Castle each August and a global TV audience of 100 million.