By Azaraimy HH
A colourful extravaganza incorporating martial music and military performances will be presented in conjunction with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's 60th Birthday Celebrations this year.
Over 1100 military musicians and performers are expected to take part in this magnificent show.
This will be when the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) presents an international tattoo show for 3 days from 29th to the 31st July 2006 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.
The last time such an event was conducted by the RBAF was in 1992 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the Coronation of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
Officially known as the Brunei Darussalam International Tattoo 2006 (BIT 2006), a 3-day Preliminary Coordinating Meeting with the local and overseas representatives of participating teams was held from the 28th to 30th March 2006.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence yesterday, the outcome of the meeting has been very successful in determining the response of the participating countries, the coordination of the performances and as well as the logistic requirements for the visiting contingents.
Among the 12 countries, expected to be participating, are Brunei Darussalam, Australia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Together with bands from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, the Royal Brunei Police Force, the Fire and Rescue Department as well as the Prisons Department Pipe and Drums Band, about 1,100 military musicians and performers are expected to entertain spectators throughout the three evenings of shows.
Like other Military Tattoos elsewhere, the primary showcase of a tattoo will be performances by military pipe and drums, as well as brass bands to complement the performers' marching formations.
The Brunei International Tattoo will also feature Chinese martial arts performance by personnel of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China while a German team of motorcycle performers team has also been invited.
The climax of the Tattoo will be a grand finale of combined performance by the participating bands, followed by an enthralling fireworks display.
The international flavour of the Tattoo is not meant to entertain just a cosmopolitan local audience but also the thousands of tourists expected to be visiting the Sultanate during His Majesty 60th Birthday celebrations.
The Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium is expected to be packed throughout the three nights of performances. Tickets will be on sale from May onwards to enable members of the public to book seats for the gala.
Proceeds from tickets sales will go towards raising funds for national charities. This must-see event promises to be a very grand, spectacular and memorable experience.
Further information on the Brunei International Tattoo is available at the website: mindef.gov.bn/tattoo2006.
- Borneo Bulletin
(1st Apr 2006)
