The Boys’ Brigade 59th Beating Retreat, Edinburgh

If you have been in the Boys’ Brigade or played in local Scottish bands over the years, you may be one of the lucky ones who have taken part in this great performance in the past.

I had the pleasure of once again photographing the annual Beating Retreat and what a pleasure too. Despite the chilly evening, they all put on a fantastic performance and great to see such a big turnout for watching the show.

The event featured the Massed Pipes & Drums, 10th Leith BB Band, Central Band of The Boys’ Brigade and Bugles & Drums of The Stedfast Association; and we saw them march from Parliament Square to Edinburgh Castle, performing a short routine on the Castle Esplanade.

For those of you who are not aware, the Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to the 16th century when drums were used as signals in the battlefields. Beating the Retreat was the cue for troops to retreat from battle as light faded.

Below I have included a few of the highlights of the evenings performance and ‘behind the scene’ photographs. I am already looking forward to attending next years event and sharing this experience with hundreds of both locals and visitors to Edinburgh.

My highlight of the evening was when the tune Highland Cathedral was being played on the castle esplanade, not long before the evenings performance came to an end for another year.

It’s never as good to only view the pictures as it is watching the real thing, therefor make sure you make it along next year. To learn more or plan your visit to next years event, visit The Boys’ Brigade 59th Beating Retreat Event