Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual charity event which is held at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. The event originally started during the War of the Austrian Succession which took place in the 18th century. Soldiers were given ‘Doe den tap toe’ (Dutch for last orders) and this was carried out every night to signal the end of their call of duty. This was preceded with an evening of military musical entertainment.
The first Edinburgh Military Tattoo was in 1950 and now attracts 217,000 visitors over the August period, taking place every weekday and twice on Saturday’s. The event is also televised on international channels. Regiments come from all over the world to perform, however a ‘lead show’ is given by British Armed Forces, alternating between the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force.
The 2012 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo plays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee and the year of Creative Scotland. The 2011 Edinburgh Military Tattoo tickets sold out for a consecutive 13 year period and produced an income of £7.6 million from sales, with the money going to military and civilian charities and organisations.
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