Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Starring over 800 international performers and engaging over 200,000 audience members, this year’s show has proven to be one of the Tattoo’s most successful to date thanks to continued partnerships and a loyal customer base.

Gallowglass has been selected as a contractor for the build of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo stands for the ninth year.

Construction takes place on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade where the structure is erected to facilitate pop and rock concerts in July and the Tattoo performances throughout the month of August.

The build of the nearly 9,000-seater stadium consists of 1,700 crane lifts, 800 tonnes of steel and aluminium and 35 miles of cables, all while Edinburgh Castle remains open to visitors.

We are delighted to continue our association with the Tattoo. This is not your average construction project, and we are pleased to be involved in delivering such an iconic venue.

Every year, to construct the stands safely and on time, our teams work closely with the Contractor, Tattoo, Historic Environment Scotland, and a collection of other suppliers.

Jason Barrett, COO at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo;

“The construction of the stands creates a familiar sight in the Edinburgh skyline and is a real landmark moment, signalling the start of the capital’s festival season. We’re thrilled to be back again for what promises to be another spectacular performance with Stories and our partnerships with suppliers ensures fans can enjoy the show from a vantage point like no other.”  

“The success of this year’s Tattoo is measured in many ways but nowhere more so than in the faces and genuine emotion expressed by those who attended. Stories was the Tattoo’s latest atmospheric spectacular enjoyed by almost a quarter of a million people, illuminating on Edinburgh Castle, and filling the capital city’s August nights with the skirl of the massed pipes and drums. We couldn’t be prouder of the team for yet another great performance.”

Gallowglass event crew from Edinburgh, many of which had built the structure numerous times before, arrived on site at the beginning of June for this mammoth build. With a total of 176 crew, over 15 days and racking up over 1,800 hours on location.

The de-rig of the structure started at the tail end of August and runs for 10 days, using 100 crew and will run over a 1000 hours.

We hope to be back in 2024!