AusLeisure

The 2016 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has made history in attracting the largest ever crowds for an event in Wellington with 82,000 tickets sold for the four night event at the city’s Westpac Stadium.

This exceeds the previous record of 78,000 tickets sold for the 2000 edition of the Tattoo when it was last in Wellington.

The Tattoo’s four performances at Westpac Stadium, from 18th to 21st February 2016, marked just the fourth time that the event had left Scotland in its 65 year history to perform in Australasia.

Tattoo Chief Executive and Producer, Brigadier David Allfrey explained “in over six and a half decades our unique event has been presented abroad on only three previous occasions.

“We are delighted to be returning to the country where the first of our overseas shows was successfully staged in 2000 and audiences were so welcoming and receptive to our particular brand of entertainment.”

New Zealand Festival Executive Chair, Kerry Prendergast, believes the enduring success of the Tattoo is down to its epic scale, ‘pomp and ceremony’, and the pure entertainment of the show, stating “there really is nothing else on earth like the Tattoo.

“Each year, when performed in the grounds of Edinburgh Castle it sells out, with 220,000 people getting the chance to see it live every year.

“A further 100 million people watch on TV. It’s one of those once in a lifetime cultural experiences that stays with people long after they see it.”

Brought together exclusively for audiences in Melbourne (where it performed on the previous weekend) and Wellington, and staged in front of a full size replica of the Edinburgh Castle, last weekend’s show featured traditional Scottish favourites including the UK’s best precision drill teams, pipers, fiddlers and highland dancers, but also numerous performances from both military and civilian cultural groups from countries outside of Britain.

In keeping with commemorative events and activities around the First World War centenary, the 2016 Tattoo also included a moment that will commemorate the spirit of the ANZACs.

The first time the Tattoo was performed outside of Scotland was in New Zealand in 2000 as part of the New Zealand Festival (formerly the New Zealand International Arts Festival), with tickets selling out in two days. Attracting people from across New Zealand, the Tattoo delivered millions in additional revenue to the local economy.

The 2016 Tattoo, also presented by the New Zealand Festival, generated massive interest with 45,000 out-of-town visitors travelling to Wellington stretching local the accommodation and hospitality sector to its limits on what was its busiest weekend of the year.

The event is expected to reap $16 million in economic benefits for the Wellington region.

Click here to view a YouTube video of the construction of the Edinburgh Castle replica at Westpac Stadium.

Images courtesy of Westpac Stadium/Facebook.

15th February 2016 - EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO MARCHES INTO ETIHAD STADIUM

17th January 2016 - WELLINGTON SEVENS ORGANISERS CONFIRM ‘SLOW’ TICKET SALES

24th July 2015 - WESTPAC STADIUM CELEBRATES ITS 15TH BIRTHDAY

14th May 2009 - EDINBURGH MILITARY TATTOO RETURNS IN 2010

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