If you have left it a bit late to buy tickets for the Tattoo this year then wait till Monday and buy them for half price. These are tickets for the annual preview evening on Thursday 1 August 2019, ahead of the Tattoo shows which run from 2 to 24 August.

This is the press night when photographers and broadcasters like us get to go onto the Esplanade at the Castle and actually run around between the performers. We all wear black however and if your seat is not too near the front you will not see us!

This year the theme is Kaleidoscope inspired by the Scottish optical instrument patented by Sir David Brewster in 1817. The show lasts for 100 minutes and is usually quite a spectacle with 1200 performers from all over the world.

Brigadier David Allfrey, Chief Executive and Producer at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “We’re all set for another fantastic show in Edinburgh and I am delighted that we can offer our local audience and their guests an opportunity for a first glance through our Kaleidoscope. Every time you look through a kaleidoscope the light cuts through the components in an infinitely variable way. We will do this on a grand scale this year. And, all this set to music!

“The Army is in the lead this year and will be working alongside some formidable military and cultural acts drawn from across the world. Our purpose is to bring people together for an entertaining and inspirational evening in front of Edinburgh Castle. The people of Edinburgh can be so very proud of this great event and should seize this opportunity to get the family together and draw in some guests from further afield. We are looking forward to seeing everyone as we start the run.”

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo celebrates its 69th show this year, after launching in 1950. It remains a showcase of exceptional entertainment and incredible displays from the finest military, including the fan-favourite Massed Pipes and Drums, a contingent of more than 250 pipers and drummers, and the Massed Military Bands: more than 800 musicians in all.

Preview performance tickets can be purchased by telephone on 0131 225 1188, online at https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or at the Tattoo offices (1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QB). Tickets are priced at £13.50 to £75.

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.