Organisers of the RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo have increased the seating capacity for the four night spectacular (25 – 28 July) to be held at Fort George due to fantastic demand for tickets.

For this year only the RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo, a full international Military Tattoo, the first of this scale to be staged in the UK outside of Edinburgh, takes place in the spectacular and dramatic setting of Fort George.  This one off event at such an impressive military establishment and the stunning world class line up has led to an unprecedented demand for tickets.

Over 300 performers from around the world including The Royal Army of Oman Pipes and Drums, The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch, the Golden Lions Parachute Display Team, The Pipes and Drums of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Imps Youth Motorcycle Display Team, The Inverness Highland Ceilidh Dancers and Military Bands, the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, The Lowland Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and The Royal Signals Northern Band will take part in the RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo’s spectacular programme.

The Inverness Tattoo, one of the longest running Tattoos in the world, is now in its 57th year.  For Highland 2007, this special year celebrating Highland culture, Unique Events and the Inverness Tattoo Committee, with assistance of The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, have worked together to create an exceptional show not to be missed.

Support for the RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo was received from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Highland 2007 and EventScotland.  The co-operation of the Army in Scotland and Historic Scotland also helped to make this event possible.

Tickets for the Tattoo are priced £15 (£10 for children under 12).  A bus service will operate from Inverness to Fort George for every performance, tickets are £4 return, and £2 return for children under 16 and OAPs - for full details see www.invernesshighlandtattoo.co.uk

Other things to look out for this week as part of the packed InvernessFest programme include the ongoing InvernessFest Fringe events.  These include the UHI summer lunchtime lecture series, Midgie Nation for children, the Highland artist’s exhibition – ‘The Art of Being Highland’ and the MDC Dance Company exploring Highland dance styles, both traditional and contemporary.

For a full InvernessFest programme visit the Highland 2007 website at www.highland2007.com

Ends

Please contact Julie Corbett or Alison Bell at Highland 2007 for more information - 01463 702007or 07766 028899 / 07733 123037

Editor’s notes

1.  RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo tickets available:

     Online - (until 5pm Tue 24 July)             

     The Booth                                 www.thebooth.co.uk  

     Tickets Scotland                        www.tickets-scotland.com

      Phone - (until 5pm Tue 24 July) 

      Tickets Scotland                 0870 220 1116 (credit card hotline)

                                                     0131 220 3234 (Edinburgh)

                                                      0141 204 5151 (Glasgow)         

            In person        

           Inverness Tourist Information Centre         Castle Wynd, Inverness

           (until 5pm Tue 24 July)   Tickets Scotland     127 Rose St, Edinburgh

            (until 5pm Tue 24 July)   Tickets Scotland     239 Argyle St, Glasgow

            (until 5pm Tue 24 July)   InvernessFest Club Box Office     Falcon Square, Inverness

2. People with disabilities will be charged at full price but each person may take a carer free of charge (a free ticket must be booked for the carer).

3.  InvernessFest is a two week long celebration of traditional and contemporary culture in Inverness taking place between 15 and 29 July. It will blend the most popular aspects of Highland traditions and heritage with events that reflect the modern face of the city of Inverness and its cultural diversity. The main festival programme will be enhanced by a range of Fringe events in venues throughout the city. InvernessFest will include:

14 - 21 July - CITYJAM Music Festival
15 July – Sir Elton John and his Band in concert at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
15 – 29 July – InvernessFest Fringe
17, 26 and 27 July – Three concerts in Inverness Town House
19 – 23 July - InvernessFest Club in Falcon Square
21 & 22 July – Tulloch Inverness Highland Games featuring the World Highland Games Championships at Bught Park
25 - 28 July – RBS Inverness Highland Tattoo at Fort George
27 July – Salm & Soul
28 July – European Pipe Band Championships at Bught Park
28 July - Summer in the City Youth Festival

The fun doesn’t stop in Inverness – lots of other events are taking place across the Highlands and Islands in July such as The Skye Festival / Feis an Eilein, Highland Games and many others.  The Skye Festival / Fèis an Eilein (13 – 27 July) is Scotland’s biggest small festival.  Over the course of two weeks around 90 events will take place throughout the Isle of Skye and surrounding area.  The festival incorporates traditional music, jazz, theatre, film, walks, workshops and the book festival Aos Dana. For more information and ticket details call 01471 844207 or visit www.skyefestival.com – some tickets also available through the Booth www.thebooth.co.uk.

Highland 2007, the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture, aims to promote the Highlands as a great place to live and to visit through showcasing the unique and special nature of Highland culture past, present and future. The project is a partnership between three principal funding agencies: The Highland Council, the Scottish Executive, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. See www.highland2007.com for full details.

Highland 2007 commercial partners include:
LifeScan Scotland Ltd - Principal Partner
Tulloch Homes Ltd / BBC Scotland / Scottish Co-op - Major Partners
Royal Bank of Scotland/ Clydesdale Bank / Morrison Construction / Bidwells -  Event Partners
Caledonian MacBrayne / First ScotRail / Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd / Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort / Macrae & Dick – In-kind Partners
Fionnar Springs / NBH Holdings / PPD Ltd / EAE Distribution / Inver House Distillers - Suppliers