Brunei International Tattoo 2011

The Brunei Armed Forces are having their 50 years Anniversary this year, and there has been a lot of things happening this week to celebrate that.
We bought tickets to go and see the Brunei International Military Tattoo, not really knowing what to expect - but it turned out to be fab, fab, fab!

It was a 3 1/2 h (yes, a bit long...) show, with Military Bands and other cultural performances from 12 different countries: Brunei, Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, UK and the United States of America.

I must say, I was so impressed! The whole event was organized so professionally. It started on time (!) and they didn't miss a beat - it rolled on smoothly through the whole show. The MCs spoke perfect English (which you need when it comes through loudspeakers in a big arena) and there were lots of friendly people on hand to direct you to your seat, to the toilet etc.

Even though it was quite long, the kids were very good, especially Oliver actually - who at times looked nearly frozen! He was so into watching it and taking it all in.
Luckily there was a big variety of entertainment, from the more traditional marching numbers, to some more "freestyle" ones; some acrobats and dancers and even a motorbike show! It was very visual and really well done!
I loved it of course, it took me back to my days in a marching band... We weren't nearly as good though... ha, ha, but I still have lots of good memories!

We took so many photos... here are a few to try and share this experience with you:

Some other fun info: The last military tattoo organized by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces was the Brunei International Tattoo (BIT) 2006 which was held in conjunction with the 60th Birthday Celebrations of His Majesty the Sultan. This event comprised of 13 countries with over 1290 performers and officials. To date BIT 2006 has been officially recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for most countries participating in a military tattoo!