Celebratory sounds filled Vernon’s Kal Tire Place over the weekend during the 2024 Okanagan Military Tattoo.
The 11th annual tattoo – a lively demonstration of military drumming, piping and parading – took place May 25 and 26, with the dates having been moved up from July in previous years to avoid poor air quality from potential wildfires.
The show’s theme was the Sounds of Celebration, and it provided two hours of fast-paced entertainment with more than 400 performers, coordinated by more than 125 volunteers.
“We are very proud this year to have so many youths involved with our show, not just as performers but also working back stage, in setup and lights,” executive director Norm Crerar said in the tattoo program.
Performing in the tattoo was the Mount Arrowsmith Pipe Band, A.L. Fortune Secondary’s drumline, the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, City Dance Studio, Shuswap Pipes and Drums, the Canadian Scottish Regiment Pipes and Drums, pipe bands from Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops, the Calgary Round-up Band, Sunehri Manke - Bhangra Dancers, Splatsin Indian band and more.
The event opened with a First Nations welcome before the show opener, Dam Busters, by the Naden Band.
This was followed by the grand entry of the Okanagan Military Tattoo pipes, drums and dancers.
City Dance Studio and the Naden Band put on a performance called Dancing Through the Years, performing several well known hits, spread throughout the show in three parts.
The Naden Pit Band came together with a choir for a Gordon Lightfoot medley, followed by a performance from the A.L. Fortune Secondary drumline.
A tribute to veterans was made towards the end of the show in recognition of the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
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