Every year, an average of 217,000 people gather at Edinburgh Castle in order to watch the famous Military Tattoo. Begun in the year 1950 with just eight items in the program, the Military Tattoo has gone from strength to strength over the years. Now an average of 1000 participants strutting their stuff at Edinburgh Castle are regularly watched on television by millions of people world wide.

Many of the people who gather to view the event up close and personal are not locals but have journeyed from every corner of the globe in order to see it. Named for the call to close shop in the inns in the 17th century, the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo is not just a local affair. Each year, visiting regiments also come to display their musical prowess. The first overseas regiment that participated was the Band of the Royal Netherlands Grenadiers in 1952. Canada and France also had performers participating in that same year. As the years have passed over 30 countries have been represented at the Tattoo.

This Scottish event is so popular that it has been a complete sell out for the last six years. It has donated some ￡5 million to charity during its running and to date, not a single Tattoo performance has been cancelled despite unsavory weather conditions - a fact which the Scots are rather proud of. Rehearsals for the event take place at Redford Barracks and the event is always one well worth seeing.

每年，平均有217000名观众会聚爱丁堡城堡（Edinburgh Castle），观看闻名遐迩的爱丁堡军乐表演。这个表演始于1950年，当时只有八个项目，多年来，它不断发展壮大。而如今，全世界有数百万观众通过电视，定期观看由1000名表演者在爱丁堡城堡带来的精彩表演。

每年都有来自全球的各个角落，为一睹其真容而至此的各国游人会聚于此，与这一活动“零距离接触”。著名的军乐队表演源自17世纪旅馆商店关门的声音，它不仅仅是一件当地的大事，每年，都有很多访问团到此一展他们高超的音乐技艺。1952年，第一支海外乐团Royal Netherlands Grenadiers乐队参加了该节，同年还有来自加拿大和法国的表演者参与。随着时间的推移，已经有超过30个国家的表演者在军乐仪队表演上亮相。

这个具有苏格兰特点的活动如此盛行，以至于近6年来成为了一个很大的亮点。从举办至今，这个活动已经为慈善机构募集了五百万英镑。令苏格兰人津津乐道的是，即使是在最恶劣的天气，也从未取消过军乐仪队表演，可谓风雨无阻。这个表演的排演通常在Redford Barracks兵营进行，当然最后的表演绝对值得一看。


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