The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

My wife and I were part of the RS 8 Days in Scotland tour last year and we attended the Military Tattoo. All I can say it was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The professional musicians, bagpipers and other performers put on an outstanding show and the 2 hours just flew by.

We ordered our tickets months in advance, and were able to get great seats in the middle of the esplanade, 3 rows up. There really is no bad seat, but being so close made the atmosphere electric. We spent a total of 10 days in all parts of Scotland before and after the RS tour, and of all the wonderful activities I can honestly say that the Military Tattoo was at the top of our experiences. I hope you decide to go, you'll love it!

I did this in 2017 and I loved it! But I love marching bands, drum corps, etc. so this was right up my alley. My travel partner had no idea what I was dragging him to, but he also ended up really enjoying it. I would purchase tickets as soon as they are available since it does tend to sell out. I liked where my seat was, about halfway up from the ground, in one of the side sections furthest from the castle. I would recommend bringing a disposable poncho because if it rains, you will get wet. Or if it rained earlier in the day, the bleachers will be wet.

Perhaps watch some UTube videos to appreciate the performances, which are fantastic! I've been once and will return!

I really enjoyed it, am happy I went (2022), and would go again - but I would not make a special trip to Scotland around it. I was in Scotland anyway and decided to attend a couple of very specific shows at the Fringe, so I was already in Edinburgh. I bought an early show ticket afternoon on day of. Since I was only one person, I also had a great seat. There were plenty of people on hand to help direct you to the appropriate area. Watching some Youtube videos is a great idea to get a feel for it..

“Worth it” questions are impossible to answer with any degree of accuracy.

My husband and I have been twice. Totally worth it. Every year the performance has a different theme. Edited to add that if you are going this year book your tickets now to get your choice of seating. The seating towards the end of the esplanade away from the castle are the best imho.

I, too, recommend that you watch some YouTube videos of the Tattoo to help you decide if it's worth your seeing. My traveling buddy loves bagpipes and marching bands, so we planned a trip to Scotland around the Tattoo in August 2022. Her high expectations were met. I thought it was OK but not great (I was sorely disappointed that the U S Army band played rap music but no Sousa pieces). One thing to factor in is that if you see the Tattoo that means you are in Edinburgh in August when it is jam packed with tourists. I am an introvert so that was a negative for me.... but I'm glad to have attended the Tattoo because it meant so much to my friend.

We got our tickets online months in advance.

Yes, we attended a couple years ago pre-COVID and absolutely loved it. We booked through the official website,
https://www.edintattoo.co.uk
We did the dinner and show package that looks as if it now called "The Castle Package"
The benefit for us, was we didn't have to wait in general line for entrance. Dinner guests enter through a different entrance. The dinner is up in the castle and there is entertainment and a nice program. Then after the dinner they escort you down the hill, through a gauntlet of all the bagpipe bands backstage all playing "Scotland the Brave" to your reserved seats. You just need to decide if you want to rent a seat cushion and a blanket.
For us, the experience was well worth the cost.
The Tattoo happens at the same time as the Fringe Festival. In your spare time, you can attend any of the shows. happening in the area for a low price.
https://www.edfringe.com/experience/how-to-plan
We stayed at a B&B just off the Royal Mile and was able to walk to the Royal Tattoo entrance and to all of the Fringe Festival shows we wanted to see.
For us, it was absolutely worth it. A bucket list item.