Editing Edinburgh Castle (section)

=== Military tattoo ===
{{main|Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo}}
[[File:edinburgh castle tattoo.jpg|thumb|right|[[Royal Marines]] emerging from Edinburgh Castle during the military tattoo in 2005]]

A series of performances known as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (since 2010 the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) takes place on the Esplanade each year during August. The basis of each performance is a parade of the massed [[pipes and drums]] of the [[Scottish regiments]], and since its inception in 1950 the tattoo has developed a complex format that includes a variety of performers invited from around the world, although still with a largely military focus. The climax of the evening is the lone [[Bagpipes|piper]] on the castle battlements, playing a [[Pìobaireachd|pibroch]] in memory of dead comrades-in-arms, followed by massed bands joining in a medley of traditional Scottish tunes. The tattoo attracts an annual audience of around 217,000 people, and is broadcast in some 30 countries to a television audience estimated at 100&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/the-experience/about-the-tattoo |title=About the Tattoo |publisher=Edinburgh Military Tattoo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225052739/http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/the-experience/about-the-tattoo |archive-date=25 December 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edinburghtattoo.biz/Home/edinburgh-tattoo-2011 |title=Edinburgh Tattoo 2014 |publisher=Edinburgh Tattoo |archive-date=8 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908175857/http://www.edinburghtattoo.biz/Home/edinburgh-tattoo-2011  }}</ref>