The Birmingham International Tattoo once again returns to Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (NIA) to enchant and delight its fans later this month. This Tattoo which is regarded as a leading event in Europe attracts leading military bands and various other performers to the NIA every year. This year it is set to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. This exciting event will feature two performances the first of which scheduled to be held on Saturday the 29th of November at 6pm and the second which is to be held on Sunday the 30th of November at 2pm.
The Origin of the Tattoo
A Tattoo is the name given to the traditional signal which was given originally by a drum beat and later by a bugle or trumpet call to British soldiers as it asked them to return to their quarters for the night. The drum beats that signaled the Tattoo used to beat for half an hour giving the soldiers enough time to finish that last drink and wrap up their business before they returned to their quarters for the night. The Tattoo typically includes the playing of the first post at 21.30 hrs and the last post at 22.00 hrs. Over the years hymns, choral verses and even torchlight parades came to be included in the Tattoo which has now evolved into a magnificent spectacle which is greatly enjoyed by people all over the world.
At Britain’s largest military station Aldershot, through the ages several other embellishments were added to the original Tattoo and now the term Tattoo is used to describe a magnificent military pageant which has displays of drummers and musicians who also play cheerful tunes in addition to the last post( the last post is traditionally played at military funerals and is used to commemorate those who have fallen at war). The Birmingham International Tattoo along with the renowned Edinburgh Tattoo is one of the most well known Tattoos in the world.
Highlights of this year’s Birmingham International Tattoo
This year’s event will include participation from the world famous Band of her Majesty’s Royal Marines and the popular Band of the Brigade of the Gurkha regiment who will be accompanied by Nepalese dancers who will perform a renowned dance which involves intricate defense moves which are performed with traditional Khukuri knives. Other bands participating in this year’s event include the Regimental Band of the Royal Netherlands Grenadiers and Rifles and Straden Band who hail from the Tyrol Mountains of Austria. These bands will also be joined by National Youth Massed Band which is made up of many individual youth marching bands.
In addition to these displays of music and dance, the Birmingham International Tattoo will also feature a breath taking display of gymnastic moves which will be performed by the Kangaroos ‘Edwardian’ Gymnastic Display Team and an exciting Inter-Service Field Gun competition. More entertainment will be provided by the Johann Strauss Garland which will feature Viennese Dancers and the Shannon Irish Dancers who will perform their acts to the sounds of boisterous Irish tunes. Children will especially enjoy the enthusiastic displays of the British Flyball Association Dog Competition and the act which will feature the United Kingdom Disco Dancers.
The Tattoo will finally end with a magnificent Grand Finale that will feature the massed Bands and a special guest appearance by renowned British Tenor Tim Pitman who will be accompanied by the New Dimensional Experience Choir. This spectacular closing ceremony will also feature the Royal Air Force Cosford Queen’s Color, the singing of the patriotic British song Land of Hope and Glory, the Evening Hymn and the melancholy strains of the Lone Piper.
Tickets for this year’s Birmingham International Tattoo are on sale now and are available online at the website of the ticket factory though you can even buy the tickets to these two limited performances on the telephone or in person at the NIA box office. If you need to find accommodation in Birmingham for the days of the Tattoo you can always check out these specials that being offered by various Birmingham hotels for the event like The Paragon Hotel, The Britannia Hotel and the Norfolk hotel. All these hotels are located in close proximity of Birmingham’s city center and can provide you with an excellent base to enjoy the many attractions of this lively city like Cadbury World, the Sealife Centre and Jewelry Quarter in addition to the vibrant event of the 2008 Birmingham International Tattoo.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 12th, 2008 at 12:01 am and is filed under Europe, Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 30th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
interesting. I didn’t know the word tattoo could mean anything else than a piece of bodyart. I think not even wikipedia says anything about that. you could add this information there
May 15th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Cool events out there. Thanks for sharing.