The Virginia International Tattoo will celebrate its 21st season this April in Norfolk.
Established in 1997, the tattoo is a musical celebration of patriotism, and a hallmark of the Virginia Arts Festival.
This year, the event will coincide with the national World War I Centennial, which marks 100 years since the United States entered the Great War, and the 100th anniversary of Naval Station Norfolk.
During a kickoff event Friday at the Clay & Jay Barr Education Center, the event’s producer and director J. Scott Jackson gave a rundown of this year’s performance schedule, which features some new talent.
For the first time, the tattoo will feature more than 70 musicians from the French Air Force Band. Unlike most bands in the United States, the French Air Force Band includes two oboes and two bassoons, Jackson said.
The Singapore Armed Forces Central Band will also make their debut performance in the Virginia International Tattoo — and the United States. The traditional 50-person British-style brass band features a precision rifle team and a six-person civilian cultural dance team, according to Jackson.
The event will also feature some traditional favorites, including the United States Air Force Heritage of America band, the United States Fleet Forces Band, and the United States Marine Corps Band, Quantico, Jackson said.
The Virginia International Tattoo may be a large spectacle of American patriotism, but it actually has deep ties to Europe, according to Jackson.
“In our context, ‘tattoo’ is a Dutch word that actually means ‘turn the tap off’. At the end of the day when they were trying to get soldiers back to their base in the Netherlands, it was common to find them in a bar,” he explained. “The only way to get them back to the base was for a drummer to go through the town saying ‘tattoo — turn off the taps’. That turned in to a ceremonial retreat, which has grown in to a magnificent spectacle.”
The family-friendly event has also become a tradition among surrounding public schools.
Last year, more than 18,000 local students attended the performance, and plan to return in 2017, according Norfolk vice mayor Theresa Whibley.
“This event is a fantastic introduction for our students to be able to see and revel in our history and military background,” she said. “This is a huge draw to the city of Norfolk.”
Students or individuals with special needs are invited to attend an exclusive Special Audience Night performance. The free event provides families with special needs relatives the opportunity to attend the tattoo in a relaxed environment.
“My wife and I have a special needs daughter, so I know what it is like as a parent. It’s hard to buy a ticket and not know what’s going to happen,” Jackson said. “Regular shows can be too overwhelming, so we fully support reaching out to people this way.”
In recent years, the Virginia International Tattoo has garnered larger crowds by integrating new activities in to their weekend event schedule.
Since 2016, the tattoo has hosted a pre-show hullabaloo featuring drum-line battles, local percussion ensembles, and pipe band competitions for families to enjoy.
This year, more than 40,000 people from across the globe are slated to attend, Jackson said.
“One day, everyone will know what the Virginia International Tattoo is because they will have been to the event growing up,” he said. “Think of the seeds we are laying.”
The event will take place April 27 – 30 at the Scope Arena in Norfolk.
Learn more about the Virginia International Tattoo and the Virginia Arts Festival at www.vafest.0rg.
Pohl may be reached at mariah@localvoicemedia.com
