Highland Military Tattoo at Fort George in Sept 2015

I've not been to the Highland Military Tattoo, but I have been to Fort George. The setting is fantastic--right out in the Moray Firth. The seating arrangement looks the same as the one that is used for the Edinburgh Tattoo, so maybe you can get comments from those who have been to that program. Also, they do have a contact us link and you might want to pose your questions directly. I agree that it looks like a super program! I does look like they just started holding the event at Fort George recently after an absence of some years so you may not hear from anyone. If you don't, you might want to post to the Inverness Forum on TripAdvisor to see what locals have to say.

Pam

I've just sent a message to their website so hope to hear from them. Good suggestion on posting to the TripAdvisor forum! Thanks, Pam.

Let us know what you hear back. As I said, I think that this is newly re-started. I remember decades ago, when my sister and I first went to Scotland, our B&B hostess sent us off to see some pipe bands. I remember walking along the river and watching it in a park. I think it must have been on the western side of the Ness at Hotel Bught Park. I suspect that it was part of the Highland Games. We were only in town for the one night--headed north to Orkney--so our hostess took good care of us!

Pam

Last summer, we weren't able to fit in a visit to Fort George, although it looked very worthwhile, and they were doing historical reenactments there on certain days. Since Pamela brought it up, here's my 2 cents worth about the Edinburgh Military Tattoo last year: really an enjoyable performance. It's expensive, but it's quite a spectacle and if you figured how many performers it takes, plus the behind-the-scenes people, it's easy to see that it's a production on a grand scale.

The grandstands were set up in the area outside the Edinburgh Castle gates (where the tour buses park during the day when it's not August), in a horseshoe-type configuration. We opted for tickets at the bend of the horseshoe (at 5 o'clock, if the bottom of the horseshoe was 6 o'clock and the gate to the castle was 12 o'clock). The seats to either side (3 o'clock and 9 o'clock) were cheaper, and were sometimes closer to the musicians and other performers, but we preferred a more head-on view, without paying for the top-end V.I.P. seats (between 6:30 and 5:30 using the clock reference). The acoustics were outstanding.

In addition to bagpipers galore, there were performers from across much of the current and former British Empire, including fiddlers from the Shetland Islands north of the Scottish mainland, and drummers and dancers from Africa. Because of the military history of the Tattoo, there was also a somewhat disturbing reenactment of a modern military exercise, capturing an enemy combatant. Based on advice from this forum and other sources, we reserved our tickets months in advance, to ensure we got in on the night we wanted.

If the Highland Tattoo hasn't run in a while, there may be lots of pent-up demand, and tickets could sell out fast. I wonder if they are focused solely on Highland soldiers/music, whereas the Edinburgh Tattoo featured acts from around the world? In an Edinburgh pub, we were treated to a piper playing the Lowland Pipes, with air supplied by a bellows attached to his right arm, rather than a mouth-blown pipe. He said these were not the same instrument as the Irish uilleann pipes, and actually had more musical range than Highland Pipes, but were impractical for playing while marching, so you probably wouldn't see them at any Tattoo.

Wow, Cyn! I think that was really helpful, particularly in regards to seating. If you look at the ticket plan for the Fort George Tattoo you'll see that it too is a horseshoe arrangement.

BTW it is great to visit Fort George even without the Tattoo. It has interesting history and the views of the Moray Firth are terrific.

An informative response, Cyn. Thank you. Thus far, I haven't been able to contact anyone at the Highlanders Military Tattoo office or their three ticket agents. A little frustrating but maybe they are overwhelmed. I can't tell if it is open seating or assigned. I think it will be a fantastic event to attend if it's anything like their YouTube video. It also looks like they might have daytime events but, again, I'm having a hard time finding any information.

Wow, we've got a Fort George over here in the Far Northwestern Forests. It's pretty amazing the Scottish people would name a Fort in Scotland after George Washington. He must have been pretty popular over there!

Fort George was built after Culloden to control those wild and crazy Scots.

Kay, give them a little time. It may be that they have had a lot of replies or it may also be that there is a part time person dealing with queries.

Pam

Kay-check out the Historic Scotland Website www.historic-scotland.gov.uk , if you haven't already. They cover the various passes that can save you money if you visit several sights, and show special events that are scheduled at various locations. Fort George was having historical reenactments throughout last summer, but we couldn't fit in a visit last August (and the day we were in the general Inverness area it absolutely poured rain).

Kent-although Britain has had 6 King Georges, the USA has now had 3 President Georges!

Thanks, Cyn, for the website hint. I'm checking them all out in order to build my schedule. BTW, everyone. I finally bit the bullet, blew the bagpipe, shot the cannon - whatever - and called the TicketLine booking agency. They returned my email query about selecting seats and i could only do that via a phone call. So we're all set for the full field view (at the end of the "U") for hopefully great seats and photography options. Very excited to attend this event. Tickets are selling fast.

Cyn,
We're catching up on the Georges.

Excellent that you got your tickets! I'm really excited for you! BTW have you found Undiscovered Scotland yet? It can really help with checking out towns and other places.

Pam

I haven't been to the Tattoo there, but have been to Fort George. It is still very much an army base, keeping the role it had in 'pacifying' the Highlands after 1715. They do a living history day in August.

The location means you might be able to see the dolphins of the Moray Firth from the battlements if the weather is right and the dolphins feel like turning.