Military tattoo
Encyclopedia
The original meaning of military tattoo is a military drum performance, but nowadays it sometimes means army displays more generally.

It dates from the 17th century when the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 was fighting in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....

 (Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

). Drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

s from the garrison were sent out into the towns at 21:30 hrs (9:30PM) each evening to inform the soldiers that it was time to return to barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...

. The process was known as (Dutch for "turn off the tap"), an instruction to innkeepers to stop serving beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

 and send the soldiers home for the night. The drummers continued to play until the curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...

 at 22:00 hrs (10:00PM). Tattoo, earlier tap-too and taptoo, are alterations of the Dutch words which have the same meaning.

Over the years, the process became more of a show and often included the playing of the first post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...

 at 21:30 hrs and the last post
Last Post
The "Last Post" can be either a B♭ bugle call within British Infantry regiments or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British Cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery used at Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.The two regimental traditions have...

 at 22:00. Bands and displays were included and shows were often conducted by floodlight or searchlight. Tattoos were commonplace in the late 19th century with most military and garrison towns putting on some kind of show or entertainment during the summer months. Between the First World War and the Second World War elaborate tattoos were held in many towns, with the largest in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...

.

One of the best known Tattoos is held on the Esplanade in front of Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...

 each August and forms the centrepiece of the annual Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...

. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual series of Military tattoos performed by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International military bands and display teams in the Scottish capital Edinburgh...

 was first staged in 1950; it combines the traditional sounds of the bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...

 and drums with the modern aspects of the armed forces. Another leading UK Tattoo is the Birmingham Tattoo
Birmingham Tattoo
The Birmingham Tattoo is held annually at the National Indoor Arena in the centre of Birmingham, England. The military tattoo features massed military bands, and spectacular displays. The event takes place for two weekend performances in November or December...

 held annually at the National Indoor Arena in November which has been attracting audiences to Birmingham since 1989. In 2008, The Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo
Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo
The Windsor Castle Royal Tattoo is a military tattoo held in the private grounds of Windsor Castle by permission of Queen Elizabeth II. The tattoo was launched in 2008 with great success and so was held for the second time in 2009...

 was launched, held in the private grounds of Windsor Castle by permission of HM The Queen. The event's proceeds went to Royal British Legion to help support recently returned troops from battle. The event was held again in 2009.

The Norwegian Military Tattoo is internationally famous for its quality and streamlined production. It has been held every second year since 1994 in the capital of Norway, Oslo. Since 1996 the shows have been presented indoors - in the Oslo spektrum which is "tailor-made" for this kind of event.

Another well-known Tattoo was the Royal Tournament
Royal Tournament
The Royal Tournament was the World's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre...

 which was held annually in London from 1880 to 1999.

The Royal International Air Tattoo
Royal International Air Tattoo
The Royal International Air Tattoo is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust...

 is the world's largest military airshow, held annually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in aid of the RAF Charitable Trust.

The indoor Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
-Background:The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is a show inspired by Military Tattoos given by military bands and display teams. It has taken place annually in Nova Scotia's capital, Halifax since 1979. It is the largest annual indoor show in the world. It is currently held in the Halifax...

 is the largest annual indoor tattoo, featuring in 2007 over 2000 performers from around the world, including Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. There is another military tattoo in Canada : The Quebec City Military Tattoo
Quebec City Military Tattoo
The Quebec City Military Tattoo is an annual military tattoo that takes place in Quebec City, the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. Part of the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands , since 2005 the Quebec City Military Tattoo stages colourful and exotic performances,...

. This event is part of the Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands
Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands
The Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands is one of the major cultural events of Quebec City, inspired by Military Tattoos given by Canadian and foreign military bands and display teams. It has taken place annually in August in Quebec City since 1998...

 which takes place in August(14-24).

The largest tattoo in the United States is the Virginia International Tattoo
Virginia International Tattoo
The Virginia International Tattoo began in 1997 and is the signature event of the Virginia Arts Festival. Presented annually in Norfolk, Virginia, the Virginia International Tattoo is an exhibition of military bands, massed pipes and drums, military drill teams, gymnasts, Scottish dancers, and choirs...

, held every year in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

. Over 850 performers play traditional music and many international acts join every branch of the Armed Forces.

The United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 holds tattoos for many different events and celebrations, like base openings and closers, and special events like the 21st Annual Langley Tattoo. The Air Force's largest tattoo is held the last Friday of June each year at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The 2010 tattoo there drew an estimated 75,000 people. It featured the rock group .38 Special. The 2011 event will feature aircraft flyovers and music by country group Lonestar. Admission is free to the public.
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