Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

Always big, always spectacular and always different, the 2012 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo will explode with colour, pomp and pyrotechnics this summer in Halifax!

Featuring performers from seven countries, the show will include the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force to help the Tattoo celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty, the Paris Police Gymnastic Team and European Rhythmic Gymnastic Champions, Club Piruett from Estonia. Mels Gymnasts and d’Holmikers’ hilarious  comedic display  from Switzerland will be featured along with  the Band of America’s Few, made up of outstanding former United States Marine Corp musicians.

Germany’s Heeresmusikkorps 1 Band from Hannover will be part of the international cast, along with the Flying Grandpas of the Hamburg Police, the most requested group to return based on the annual audience survey.

The Swiss Army Central Band, with seventy-five musicians from across Switzerland, will make its North American debut in the 2012 Tattoo.  This internationally famous band will also include a team of spectacular Swiss drummers.

Themed to the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, the Tattoo will give the audience a look at  Halifax’s Grand Parade in July 1812 as well as  a moving tribute to the loss of the Titanic and the role Halifax played in that disaster in 1912.

As always, the Canadian Forces will be the centerpiece of a number of scenes in the show and the highlight this year could well be the Gun Race of the Royal Canadian Navy which is returning after a twelve year absence.  It’s a reflection of the famous Gun Run that thrilled audiences in the Tattoo for many years and will be presented this year in response to an almost constant stream of requests for the return of this exciting athletic competition.

The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo takes place July 1-8 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tickets are now on sale through the Ticket Atlantic Box Office (902-451-1221) or online at www.nstattoo.ca 

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The PBS member channel in Buffalo, NY will be lit up with red and white this July 1, thanks to the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.

PBS member, WNED-TV expressed interest in the Tattoo as a program of interest for its audience for July 1.

As a result, the Tattoo will be seen in Western New York and Southern Ontario on Canada Day. The Tattoo will also be featured in their broadcast magazine.

The partnership will be one that promotes the Nova Scotia Tattoo but also the culture, heritage and music associated with the Atlantic Canadian region.

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Another Tattoo first; rehearsals and set up can be closely monitored by fans all over the world!

Beginning on June 14, the floor of the Metro Centre will be broadcast 24/7 at Novascotiawebcams.com. Fans from all over the world will be able to see what goes on before opening day on July 1 in four second increments.

Novascotiawebcams.com has a loyal local following but has also gained a strong international audience among ex-pats, tourists and those who want to visit Nova Scotia.

The Tattoo hopes its participation will help attract tourists to Nova Scotia this July.

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Wedding bells will  be ringing at this year’s Tattoo as two former cast members tie the knot on the Tattoo floor!

Former Haligonian and choir member Stacia Findlay will marry her Tattoo sweetheart, former German Band Member Carsten Borkert on July 7th as part of the pre-show presentation.

The two will exchange vows in front of more than 6,000 witnesses, officiated by Tattoo Chaplain Rev. Robert Chapman. The Choir and the participating German Band, Heeresmusikkorps I from Hannover, will provide the music for the ceremony.

While there are many stories of romance at the Tattoo, this ceremony is a first in Tattoo history.