My awareness and admiration for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo dates back to my days growing up in the Middle West of America. This knowledge and appreciation has grown over the last three decades whilst I served in both the US and UK militaries and visited my wife Mari’s home country of Scotland regularly, as she’s originally from West Lothian. Through these experiences and exposure, my respect for this global cultural extravaganza has only increased.
Having recently been appointed Chief Executive, I have the privilege of working alongside a truly talented and passionate team to carry forward the proud tradition of the Tattoo whilst also unlocking its full potential. Creativity is central to all we do, not only in how we deliver a spectacular show, but also in how we approach our brand and business year-round. When people think of the Tattoo, their mind undoubtedly turns to the iconic setting of the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and our August run but there’s much more to our acclaimed institution and a world of opportunity to explore.
While the traditional pillars of the Massed Pipes and Drums and Highland Dancing will always remain our core, we are determined to diversify the Tattoo and innovate for the future. There exists enormous scope for growth in how we spread the magic of the Tattoo not just in Edinburgh but also further afield. We’ve staged full-scale productions in Australia and New Zealand in previous years, which leads us to think there might be a touring model we could develop that performs to crowds in three different cities over three weeks on another continent.
Further concepts have us considering what a theatre Tattoo might look like. Is there a version that could wow audiences in the West End or at the Royal Albert Hall? It’s this kind of ideation that excites the team, by not limiting our creativity to just the show itself, but also in how we think of the Tattoo as a business. As a successful, diverse, expanded business, we are better positioned for sustainable growth, which will ultimately allow us to give more to our charities, which is our pre-eminent aim. At the Tattoo, we believe you are either moving forwards or moving backwards; there is no standing still. A recent example is the way we sourced "best in class" industry leaders in lighting, projection, and sound to elevate our shows as they returned to market post-covid.
Ultimately, our ambition is to lift the human spirit through creating atmospheric spectaculars. To do so, we must challenge ourselves to be better tomorrow than we are today. The Tattoo is unlike anything else in the world as a platform that showcases military precision, Scottish traditional arts, and global cultural acts. We know we’ve achieved that when we witness people leaving the arena wiping a tear from their eye or beaming with joy. We are humbled and honoured to carry the Tattoo mantle forward. And I’m excited to see where our next chapter takes us over the coming years. Onward.
Jason Barrett is Chief Executive Officer at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. To purchase tickets for this year’s how, visit edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or call 0131 225 1188.
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