Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo: Is the show just for OAPs?

I feel like I should explain the title of this blog post a bit before I continue. I watched the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2015 with my family. We were in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival and decided to get tickets for the Tattoo as well since they both take place in August every year.

My only previous experience with the Tattoo was when I worked at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013. Coach after coach would block off Chambers Street and hoards of silver-haired, over-60s would make their way up to Edinburgh Castle to enjoy the Tattoo. I had some vague idea that it was a ‘military display’ and the nightly canons would keep me alert on the late shift. But due to the average age of the audience, I dismissed it as something I wouldn’t appreciate or have any desire to watch.

So when I actually got the chance to watch the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo… Was I proven wrong? Does the Tattoo only appeal to those with rose-tinted glasses about a bygone wartime era? Or does a military performance like this one have the ability to appeal to everyone? Let’s find out, shall we! I’ve also included ticket prices and any other information I think visitors should know at the end of this post.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

What is the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo?

In case you’re still scratching your head over what the heck a Military Tattoo is, you’re not alone!

Tattoo | Noun | An evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters e.g. ‘a military tattoo takes place with clockwork precision’

So that’s what ‘tattoo’ means in this context according to the Edinburgh Tattoo’s website. I’m not sure that helps us, though.

Also according to their website, the Military Tattoo’s humble beginnings started 70 years ago when a show called ‘Something about a Soldier’ performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1949 at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens. Lieutenant Colonel George Malcolm simply wanted to bring a military presence to the festival. I imagine the show was a huge, unexpected success because just the next year in 1950, the first Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo performed in front of Edinburgh Castle which is where the show is still held each year.

As best as I can describe it, it’s a military display featuring different, erm… regiments? Armies? (no idea what the military terms are) from all over the world. They also stay true to their Scottish roots and invite highland dancers, pipers and fiddlers to perform. They utilise their military formations and precision training to craft mesmerising and completely unique performances. The Tattoo is truly a multi-cultural, multi-faceted show (lights, projection, music, fireworks, etc. the works!) that’s unlike any other military display/showcase in the world.

Edinburgh Tattoo Performance

Every year, the Military Tattoo has a theme and when I watched the show in 2015 it was ‘East Meets West.’ I honestly can’t say I remember too much about the specifics, but I believe the highlight of the whole show was the Indian performers. Around 1,000 performers take part every August (as you can see from my photos, the space is quite big) which just seems like it should be a logistical nightmare but they somehow manage to pull it off.

Also, I know these photographs are a little shoddy (I did take them in 2015) but I hope they give you some idea of what the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo performances look like.

My mum and I went back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and we watched an interview with the main guy who organises the whole thing. He’s a military man himself and spends most of his year travelling around the world watching and selecting different troops and performers for the Tattoo sometimes years in advance. What a hard life that guy must lead.

It’s a truly international show and that doesn’t just apply to the performers. Before every show, the announcer (yes, there’s an announcer so you know exactly where everyone has come from and which troop is performing) shouts out some countries and the audience cheers back. People come from America, Canada, China, India, Australia… you name it, just to see the Edinburgh Tattoo.

Visitor Information and Ticket Prices

The Military Tattoo takes place every August, but not the entirety of August. For example, in 2019 the Edinburgh Tattoo performed from 2nd – 24th August. And since the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is 2nd-26th August, you can experience both in one trip easily! They perform every weekday night at 21:00. They don’t host performances on Sundays and there are two shows on Saturdays: 19:15 and 22:30.

The tickets for the August 2019 season were released in early December 2018. And they do sell out fairly quickly (they’d make a bloody good Christmas present!). So that just gives you some idea of how on the ball you need to be with booking tickets. I’m sure if you are from Scotland or England and wanted to go with a coach trip you could get away with leaving it a little later. Ticket prices range from £12.50 – £60 depending on where your seats are and how far in advance you book.

Top tip: Please wrap up warm. I know it’s Scotland in the summer so you probably won’t be wearing skimpy summer dresses anyway, but you’ll need to wear all your winter gear to watch the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. For starters, it is all outside so if it rains you’re getting wet. But I can almost guarantee it will be windy sat up on that stadium. Bring a winter coat, hat, scarf, gloves and yes, even a blanket. You can thank me later.

So… Is the Tattoo just for OAPs?

Heck no! The show is an absolute spectacle and the extraordinary talent of military professionals who are also incredible performers is just mindblowing. It’s the kind of show that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It’s a bucket list, once in a lifetime experience for so many around the world and I consider myself lucky that I’ve seen it.

Those OAPs on the coach trips just know a good show when they see one. And if the over 65s are happy to brave the cold for an epic performance then you can too!

Those are my thoughts on visiting the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo this August! Have you watched the Edinburgh Tattoo? Let me know in the comments below!

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A First Timer’s Guide to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival