The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

USPA NEWS - The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Presents - KALEIDOSCOPE 2019

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a spectacular like no other, all set against the iconic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

This year the Tattoo will capture the imagination of our audience in Kaleidoscope. Exploring colour, music and light, the 2019 Tattoo is inspired by the optical invention created by Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster in 1816.



Celebrating glorious symmetries through precision-led performances, with the British Army at the fore, military and cultural acts from across the globe will be joined by the iconic Massed Pipes and Drums, Pipers Trail, Tattoo Dance Company and Hjaltibonhoga.

Bigger, better and more technically thrilling than ever before, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an experience for the senses.

Through a Kaleidoscope - The Edinburgh Tattoo showcase for 2019


International performers from China, New Zealand, Africa, Europe and The Caribbean confirmed for The Edinburgh Tattoo's 2019 production 'Kaleidoscope'

This August, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will celebrate visible light in all its forms with incredible architectural projections, cutting-edge lighting, sound and special effects to accompany music and performance from some the world´s finest military and folkloric performers, as it launches its 2019 show Kaleidoscope today.

Staged on the iconic Edinburgh Castle Esplanade between 2-24 August, the military spectacle, which marks its 69th show this year, has taken inspiration from the much-loved optical instrument patented by Scottish scientist, Sir David Brewster in 1817 and Sir Isaac Newton´s original seven hues (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet).

Musical and cultural showcases from China, France, Germany, New Zealand, Nigeria and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as homegrown talent from the UK at the centre of it all. The Army is the lead Service this year and there will be scarlet and gold everywhere with three huge State Bands at full stretch. These are reinforced by the legendary sound of the Massed Pipes and Drums - more than 250 pipers and drummers from Scottish Regiments, the Pipers Trail and around the world - and the dazzle and athleticism of the Tattoo Dance Company, along with enchanting tunes from the Hjaltibonhoga fiddlers from the Shetland Isles.

This year´s theme, Kaleidoscope, is designed to showcase the brilliant uniforms, costumes and formations for which the Edinburgh Tattoo is famous. The symmetries of the military bands matched with the precision of the dancers and marching drill teams creates an effect which is spectacular and constantly changing, just like the view through a kaleidoscope. Each performance will take the audience on a 100-minute journey around the world, exploring the rich heritage, culture and traditions of the nations involved.

More than 60 youth performers from the Beijing Marching Wind Band and Cultural Display have travelled from China´s buzzing metropolis to appear for the first time in Edinburgh. Drawn from schools and universities, each performer will play a key part in bringing to life the Chinese folktale of Dragons Playing With A Ball, starting in muted colours, transitioning through the colours of the rainbow to red and gold as seven dragons tap into a divine spirit every evening.

Temperatures will rise as the Trinidad & Tobago Defence Steel Orchestra showcase their unique skills on the Caribbean´s much-loved steel drums. Representing the colour “˜yellow´ - for the sunshine of their islands - the Band will be escorted by limbo dancers, fire-eaters, stilt walkers and the dark character of The Midnight Robber from the traditional masquerades, setting the arena alight with colour and movement.

Inspired by the kaleidoscope´s ability to create magical patterns to the eye, organisers have assigned a colour to each sequence, allowing the nightly 8,800 audiences to see the whole show through a colourful Tattoo lens. In a first for the show, overhead projections will light the floor of the Esplanade under the feet of 1,200 performers.

Brigadier David Allfrey, Chief Executive and Producer of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo said:

“Within the conventional framework of a military Tattoo we always look to strike a balance between time-honoured tradition and innovative ideas. This year, our audiences can expect plenty of tradition “¦but with a twist!“

“The Tattoo is always looking to stimulate as many senses as possible: sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste. To do this, we shape the production around a creative frame which provides inspiration for the military and civil performers to stretch and give of their best.

“Through the Kaleidoscope, audiences can expect to see colours coming together in an infinite variety of military formations, bands and folkloric performers - individually and together moving on the Esplanade - creating a fabulous human mosaic. The huge tableau, with our great castle as an incomparable backdrop, will be framed by cutting edge lighting, projections, sound, special effects and fireworks. It is perhaps the Tattoo´s most colourful and extravagant show yet.

“Above all, we want everyone to come together - from wherever they hail - for an evening that is inspirational as well as entertaining“

More than 220,000 visitors will see the Tattoo in Edinburgh during August with a further global audience of over 100 million through programmed televised broadcasts.

Last year, the Tattoo announced its ambitions to develop its international influence by securing overseas tours in China, Australia and Canada by 2021 and doubling its turnover to £20 million by 2025.

Tickets for this year´s Tattoo can still be purchased online at www.edintattoo.co.uk/tickets (click more information link below) or by telephone on +44 (0)131 225 1188, or in-person from the Tattoo Office at 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh.