Photos

The Military Tattoo is a grand display of martial music and pageantry held on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. The tattoo begins with ten Scottish and international regiments of pipes and drums massing in front of the castle, followed by dance, drills, and music from guest performers. The 2004 program included highland dancers from Scotland and Australia (identifiable by their blue shirts and kilts in the photo), a cultural dance troupe from East India, an Estonian rhythmic gymnastic group, and the military bands of the People's Liberation Army of China and the South African navy. Next, the military bands mass in front of the castle to drill and perform, and then form a 600 strong massing of both the military bands and the pipes and drums regiments. Finally, all 1000 performers return to the spotlight (this is the moment captured here), filling the esplanade with sound. The dramatic finale features a lone piper playing from the castle battlements as the lights are dropped.
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Sharpened in PS. I feel like the photo might be a little off kilter, but the perspective is kind of tricky... suggestions would be appreciated.