Birmingham International Tattoo Tickets

Enjoy Military Majesty at the Birmingham International Tattoo

If you're looking for a display of breathtaking military majesty, look no further than the Birmingham International Tattoo. This annual event brings together marching bands, pipers, drummers, colour guards and other performers from around the world. With brilliant fireworks displays, heart-stopping drumming and flawless showmanship, Birmingham International Tattoo tickets ensure that you're in for a thrilling experience.

Plot

The Birmingham International Tattoo is not a traditional stage show. Rather, it's a series of varied performances from around the world. The show may feature performances from massed bands, dancers, motorcycle displays, standard bearers, colour guards, competitive field gun crews, gymnasts, dog display teams, vocalists and more. A given year's performance may also commemorate various historical or military anniversaries.

There is one element of the performance that recurs from year to year, which is the grand finale. This assembly of massed bands brings out over a thousand performers (including a few special guests) in a heart-pounding display of pageantry and pomp. This is followed immediately by the event's closing ceremony, where the assembled performers play patriotic favorites like "Land of Hope and Glory," and the "Evening Hymn."

Schedule

The Birmingham International Tattoo takes place each year in Birmingham's National Indoor Arena. It takes place over two weekends, typically in November or December.

Trivia

Since the programme's inception in 1989, the Birmingham International Tattoo has raised money for the Royal Star and Garter Homes. This charity was founded in 1916 to support soldiers who had come back from World War I, and has since expanded its mission to help all military service people get adequate medical care. Many of the Birmingham International Tattoo's exit collections benefit the Royal Star and Garter Homes, and as of 2013 the event had raised a total of over £40,000 for the charity.

Cast

The Birmingham International Tattoo draws performers from around the world, particularly the UK, the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. The lineup varies from year to year, but you can expect to see names like the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Central Band of the Belarus Armed Forces, the Royal Naval Volunteer Band Association Massed Band, the Ceremonial Band of the Polish Army, the Lacken Band of Austria, and the National Youth Marching Band. There are also a number of dancers, such as those from the Belarusian National Folk Dance Academy, and vocalists like tenor Tim Pitman, the Bolshoi's Vladimir Yaskevich and Rebecca Robinson.

Original Author

The original Birmingham International Tattoo, in 1989, took place at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre. It featured performances from groups as varied as the Band and Pipes and Drums of the West Midland Police, the Band of the 1st Battalion Wessex Regiment, the Pride of Murray Pipes and Drums, and the Midsomer Norton Carnival. It was orchestrated by a huge committee of individuals, including its original producer Major Gordon Turner, MBE, and the event's marketing manager Ian Collins, who still works with the event to this day. The organising team describe the event as a positive influence in the relationship between the East and the West since the Berlin Wall had just recently fallen and the Tattoo served as a reason to unite disparate superpowers peaceably.

Producers

The Birmingham International Tattoo is currently produced by Norman Rogerson, MBE. Rogerson is a well-known producer of many concerts and shows, including the Military Music Spectacular, the Dover Military Tattoo and the Russian Spectacular at the Fairfield, which included performances from the White Russian Band, the RAF Band and the NATO All-Stars. He also serves as the president of the Pangbourne Band.