The Virginia International Tattoo is a

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

that began in 1997 and is the signature event of the

Virginia Arts Festival The Virginia Arts Festival is a Norfolk-based non-profit arts presenter which serves southeastern Virginia, offering dozens of performances during the spring and throughout the year. Virginia Arts Festival performances have included international ba ...

. Presented annually in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, the tattoo is an exhibition of

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...

s, massed

pipes and drums A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

, military

drill team A drill team can be one of four different entities: # A military drill team is a marching unit that performs routines based on military foot or exhibition drills. Military drill teams perform either armed or unarmed. # A dance drill team creat ...

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

dancers, and choirs. It is presented in cooperation with

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and the Norfolk NATO Festival. It is the largest show of its kind in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, involving a cast of over 1,000 artists from many different countries, and over 38,000 people attend each year, including over 16,000 area students at the annual student matinees. The Virginia International Tattoo was listed as

American Bus Association The American Bus Association (ABA) is a trade association for motorcoach operators and tour companies in the United States and Canada. Its membership consists of about 1,000 companies that operate buses or bus-based tours, about 2,800 organizati ...

's Top

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n Event for 2016. The tattoo is considered to be one of the seven “founding members” of the International Association of Tattoo Organizers (IATO). Unfortunately, the Tattoo, like many other events, did not take place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The term "tattoo" derives from the cries of the 17th and 18th-century Dutch innkeepers who, as the fifes and drums of the local regiment signaled a return to quarters, would cry, "Doe den tap toe!" "Turn off the taps!". The sound of "taps" led to an impromptu parade back to barracks. Over time, the words of that cry evolved into the term "tattoo," which now refers to a ceremonial performance of military music by massed bands.

Highlights

2017 Virginia International Tattoo (33615274974)

Tattoo Weekend Events

Hullabaloo is a free outdoor festival of pipers, dancers, drill teams and drum lines which starts three hours prior to each performance of the Virginia International Tattoo. A variety of food and beer is available for purchase. The event is located on Scope Plaza, Norfolk, Virginia.

DrumLine Battle at the Tattoo

A Hullabaloo favorite, DrumLine Battle™ showcases marching percussion ensembles of any instrumentation and any skill level year-round, spotlighting their unique talents and creativity in a high energy face-to-face competition. DrumLine Battle is a program of

Drum Corps International Drum Corps International (DCI) is a governing body for junior drum and bugle corps responsible for developing and enforcing rules of competition, and for providing standardized adjudication at sanctioned drum and bugle corps competitions througho ...

. This event is located on Scope Plaza, Norfolk, Virginia.

Highland Heavy Athletic Championship

The Virginia International Tattoo is partnering with Brute Strength Gym for a Heavy Athletic Championship, Highland-style, with a caber toss, keg toss and more. Free, Norfolk, Virginia

Virginia International Tattoo American Pipe Band Championship

The Virginia International Tattoo will host the Third Annual Virginia International Tattoo American Pipe Band Championship on Scope Plaza in Norfolk, Virginia. The competition, which coincides with the Tattoo performance weekend, will feature hundreds of bagpipers and drummers as they compete for the honors in this annual competition. This event is located on Scope Plaza, Norfolk, Virginia.

= Norfolk NATO Festival

= The Norfolk NATO Festival is a celebration and reflection of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

countries and the bond they have. Member nations are on display through the kickoff parade, NATO village, kids zone, music, performances and food. Attendees learn about each culture and its history.

Parade of Nations

The Norfolk NATO Festival's highlight is the annual Parade of Nations, the longest continuous parade in Hampton Roads and the only Parade in the

honoring NATO. Over 100 Parade Units with local and visiting high school bands, US and International Military bands, and colorful floats which represent each of the 29 NATO member nations and their respective armed forces, are featured. Local community organization and Festival partners are also featured. This event is located at Town Point Park,

. The civil-military parade and pageant involves a cast of over 800 artists from many different countries, and has over 28,000 people attending every year, including over 12,000 area students at the annual student matinees. The Virginia International Tattoo is, since 2007, one of the seven founding members of the International Association of Tattoo Organizers (IATO).

Norfolk NATO Festival Flag Raising

The Flag Raising ceremony is a cultural sampling of music and a colorful display of NATO Member National flags and uniforms in this military presentation representing all 29 NATO member nations. Each Nation's representative will present the national flag, while a portion of their

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

is performed by the United States Fleet Forces Band. This custom was not observed in the 2022 flag raising, where only the NATO hymn and US national anthem were played.

References

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External links

Official websiteIATO: International Association of Tattoo OrganizersVirginia Arts Festival

Virginia International Tattoo: Swiss Army Central Band
1997 establishments in Virginia Military tattoos Recurring events established in 1997 Culture of Norfolk, Virginia