Tattoo set to go on the road overseas every year

A n ove r s e a s ve r s i o n o f t h e Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is to be staged ever y year in future.

Full- scale productions will b e v i s i t i n g C h i n a , Au s t r a l - i a and Canada over the next three years under the event’s biggest ever expansion.

Nor t h America, I ndia a nd t he Middle East ar e al s o on the hit- list of chief executive and producer, Brigadier David Allfrey.

He revealed that the event– seen by 220,000 on Edinburgh Castle esplanade each August – could even visit cities around Europe in the wake of Brexit.

T h e e x p a n s i o n p l a n s a r e aimed doubling the turnover of the event, which has been sold out in Edinburgh for the last 18 years, from £ 10 million in 2015 to £ 20m in 2025.

T h e n u m b e r o f s t a f f employed by the Tattoo is set to almost double to around 40 under the new strategy, which wil l s e e s i x di f f er e nt e vent s b e i n g p r o d u c e d a n d p r o - grammed at the same time.

It is hoped that the overseas drive will help the Tattoo real- ise a long- standing ambition o f a c h i e v i n g a o n e b i l l i o n - strong “multi- platform” audience within the next few years.

An estimated 14 million people have attended the Tattoo since the first event was staged in 1950. Around 30 per cent of the tickets for the modern- day event are sold overseas.

Brigadier Allfrey, who has been at the helm of the event since 2011, said: “The Tattoo is one of the greatest shows on e a r t h, a t t r a c t i ng a udi e nce s across the globe to Edinburgh and selling out year on year.

“We’re a small company but we have big ambitions and are focused on delivering a show that is bigger and better, more technically advanced and visually thrilling every year.

“Edinburgh i s an amazing stage and will always be our home, but for us to continue to thrive as an organisation, we need to look beyond the esplanade and the walls of the city.

“T h e mo d e l we a r e d e ve l - oping will enable us to invest more i n our s hows i n Edin - b urg h a nd t he o ne s t hat g o abroad. It is designed to ensure that we stay in front and are continually innovating.”