Tattoo's antipodean tour worth $87m

For only the fourth time in its 66-year history, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has just completed a major international run. The team from Edinburgh delivered nine shows; five in the Etihad Stadium in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne and four in Wellington’s Westpac Stadium which drew a total audience of over 250,000.

The record-breaking events generated more than AUD$37.5m in gross revenue on top of an estimated AUD$50m for the Australian and New Zealand economies. Organisers are now looking to the Gulf Region and Jordan, China and beyond for Tattoos in 2018 and 2020.

The performances featured more than 1,300 international military and civilian musicians and performers, while in Wellington the production included a 200-strong Maori group; the largest cast ever presented by the Tattoo.

Tattoo chief executive and producer, Brigadier David Allfrey, said: “We are hugely proud of all that has been achieved last month; the way so many elements came together elegantly and the amazing response from our audiences. Ticket sales were phenomenal and we were well supported by Red Live Events, the New Zealand Festival and the cities of Melbourne and Wellington.”

Informal talks have already taken place with potential partners in the Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan towards the next overseas Tattoo in 2018.

“We are working to develop a major Gulf and Jordanian project over the next two years. The plan is to create a substantial touring show which showcases the wealth of Arabian talent alongside major Tattoo acts drawn from around the world. Beyond that, we aspire to take the show to Beijing. What a prize,” said Brigadier Allfrey.

“The show stands to create all sorts of opportunities for relationship-building in defence, in foreign affairs, in business, tourism and in sharing culture, heritage and the arts. And, we hope the Tattoo will open doors for business people and visitors in all the countries involved,” he added.

Since 1950, it has played to more than 14 million people live in the Scottish capital, while up to 300 million watch highlights on international television each year. Last year, the commercial success of the event in Edinburgh saw the Tattoo donate ££500,000 to UK charities.

This summer, between 5 – 27 August, around 220,000 people will see a new multinational cast playing the 67th Tattoo on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The show will be staged under the banner of ‘Tunes of Glory’ and will pay particular tribute to HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday.

www.edintattoo.co.uk