Clan MacKenzie to star in the 2017 Edinburgh Tattoo.
The Scottish Government have designated 2017 as the “Year of History, Heritage, and Archaeology”, and the world famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is joining in by taking as its theme for next year’s performances, “A Splash of Tartan”, and featuring on each night one or two different clans.
The event’s Director, Brigadier David Allfrey, said at the close of this year’s tattoo: “This colourful banner will help us reinforce our links with our clans, families and the wider Scottish Diaspora. As Scotland’s influence has flowed across the world over the years, we are looking to reach out to the points of the compass where tartan and its patterns might have touched. And… we hope our audience might come together in this spirit, attending the Show dressed in their chosen tartans with bonnets and accoutrements! 
We hope the Clan Chiefs and their followers will join us, each on a special evening”.
The MacKenzies will be the highlighted clan on Tuesday 15th August, one of the evenings when BBC Television will be filming the performance.
The clan will march up the last part of the royal mile and on to the arena behind Cabarfeidh and the Pipes and Drums. Cabarfeidh will then be introduced – along with his clan – as the evening’s special guest, after which he will take a dram with the Pipe Major and be ushered to a seat in the VIPs box, while we take our seats around the arena and the history of our clan is explained to the rest of the crowd.
The Tattoo is one of the most popular events in the Edinburgh International Festival, and tickets are usually snapped up very quickly when they go on sale at the end of the preceding year. Clan MacKenzie will have priority booking seats for the night of Tuesday 15th August 2017.
From the Clan MacKenzie Society in the UK:
The Strathpeffer Highland Games will be held in the grounds of Castle Leod on Saturday 12th August, and the Clan MacKenzie Society of Scotland & the UK will be organizing some other events in Strathpeffer on Sunday (including, perhaps, tours of Castle Leod) and in Edinburgh on Monday evening and during the day on Tuesday before the Tattoo.
In order that the organisers of the Tattoo may know how many seats to set aside for Clan MacKenzie, we need to know if you may be coming to join us for it as soon as possible. Please register your interest in coming (no commitment at this stage), with an indication of the numbers likely to be in your party, with the Treasurer of the UK Society, Jacqueline McKenzie membership@clanmackenziesociety.co.uk.
It would be appreciated if you also “cc” Alan McKenzie – Treasurer of the Canadian Society, so we have an idea of Canadian participation.
The UK Society will aim to release details of its intended programme for 12-15 August 2017 in its Fall Newsletter, which will be copied to other Clan MacKenzie societies around the world.
The bulk of tattoo seats are likely to be in the £40 to £50 range, but a considerable number of more expensive ones will be available (and a few slightly cheaper ones). You’ll be able to buy them online when they become available using a special clan log-in that will be given to us in due course.
For now all you need do is to tell us you’re interested (and how many may be in your party), and whether you may also be interested in attending CMS events before that in Strathpeffer and Edinburgh.
We look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Graeme Mackenzie
Deputy Chairman CMSSUK.