Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Bands preview Highland Military Tattoo with Elgin showcase

The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders  Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin
The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin

Shoppers in Elgin were treated to a military medley in the high street yesterday as they got a taster of this weekend’s Highland Tattoo celebrations.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders’ Pipes and Drums bands marched harmoniously along the Plainstones for about 40 minutes, before attending a reception held by the council in their honour.

Tattoo director Major General Seymour Monro said celebrating the launch in Elgin was a tribute to the town’s contribution to event.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders  Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin
The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin
The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders  Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin
The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin

“It’s a great way to promote the Tattoo and let people get a small taste of what a fantastic event it is,” he said.

“Last year some of our bands played in the high street in Inverness and it was a huge success. We thought it would be a great idea to do the same in Elgin, given the huge part Moray plays in the Highland Military Tattoo, providing almost 50% of the performers, as well as many of the spectators and volunteers.

“They have all been busy rehearsing – it’s quite a feat when you consider they only get together for the first time a few days before.”

The impressive celebration of the north’s longstanding military heritage began at Fort George, near Inverness, last night – showcasing an abundance of explosive chanters and colours.

The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders  Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin
The Royal Regiment of Artillery Band and the Highlanders Pipes and Drums launch the Highland Tattoo from The Plainstones in Elgin

Maj Gen Monro added: “Last night was outstanding. It’s exciting, colourful and full of life. Even the fireworks were stunning.”

Based in Tidworth Garrison, Wiltshire, the Royal Regiment of Artillery Band supplies musical support to the Army around the world. It is the oldest military band in continuous service in the UK and traces its roots back to the Seven Years War (1756-63) when the officers of the Royal Artillery serving in Germany founded the band with eight members to play at social occasions.

Since then, the band has performed all over the world and accompanied many well-known musicians.

The Highlanders are the descendants of the Queen’s Own Highlanders and The Gordon Highlanders. This weekend marks their first time in their home counties since the Battalion returned from Germany to Catterick this summer.

The Highland Military Tattoo continues at Fort George today with a 3pm matinee, before 8pm performances tonight and tomorrow. Tickets are still available.