The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been cancelled for the second year in a row.
Event bosses say the financial risks around delivering the event during uncertainty around restrictions were too great.
They say the decision came with "enormous regret and disappointment", adding that those with tickets can either get a full refund or can transfer their ticket to 2022.
Chief Executive, Buster Howes, said: “Despite the sense of optimism around the UK’s emergence from the Pandemic and our huge enthusiasm to stage a performance this year, it is now clear that the financial risks we confront in delivering The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, at scale, on the Castle Esplanade in August are simply too great.
"Consequently, it is with enormous regret and disappointment that we announce the cancellation of the 2021 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo."
He added: “We have for months forensically monitored, assessed and sought to mitigate the constraints and uncertainties involved in mounting our show.
"However, we now reluctantly conclude it would be irresponsible to press on and to risk the longer-term financial viability of our charity, without the ability to underwrite and to offset the potential, substantial economic losses associated with last-minute cancellation obliged by changes in public health policy.
“This has been a very difficult decision. We appreciate it has far-reaching implications for our staff, performers, suppliers, and guests, but we must act responsibly and, in the best, long-term interests of all.
Despite the sense of optimism around the UK's route out of the COVID-19 pandemic and our desire to stage a Show this year, the financial implications against the risks we face are simply too high. It is with deep regret that we must announce the cancellation of the 2021 Tattoo. pic.twitter.com/9DLX8CoLtp
— EdinburghTattoo (@EdinburghTattoo) May 18, 2021
"A tremendous amount of energy and effort goes into planning and delivering each Tattoo and this year was no exception.
"This is a very disappointing outcome. We will now refocus to find other ways to contribute to the national spirit of recovery this year and to surprise and delight the people of our City and from further afield.
“We would like to thank all our ticket holders, friends and stakeholders for their patience over the past year as we have navigated the uncertainty of the Pandemic.
"Their continuing commitment and support has been much appreciated by everyone at the Tattoo and we look forward to welcoming them back to the Esplanade in the future.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel