Programme
Belfast International Tattoo 2025 – Official Programme
Join us at the SSE Arena, Belfast, for a spectacular showcase of music, precision, and tradition as we bring together world-class performers from across the globe. The Belfast International Tattoo 2025 promises an unforgettable celebration of military music, dance, and cultural heritage like never before.
2025 Performers
Here’s a glimpse of the incredible acts taking to the stage this year:
Tveit Union Musikkorps, Norway
Tveit Union Musikkorps
Tveit Union Musikkorps is a marching band from Kristiansand in Norway. Kristiansand is the biggest city in southern part of Norway and has a population of 110 000 inhabitors.
The musicians are amateurs and are in the range from 16 to 55 years old. The band is active and every year the band makes several appearances for military, public and private organisers. In addition, the band organizes its own concerts. The band does tattoo shows both in and outside of Norway. In 2025, Tveit Union is only visiting one tattoo outside of Norway and that is Belfast Tattoo! On Norway’s national day, May 17th, there is always the premiere of this year’s Tattoo show in the city center of Kristiansand.
Outside of Norway, the band has participated in a number of tattoos such as Berwick Military Tattoo, Berlin Tattoo, Bremen Tattoo, International Taptoe Belgium, Tattoo St. Quentin, France and the Spasskaya Tower Military Tattoo in Moscow.
Hunter Moore Memorial Flute Band, Newry
Hunter Moore Memorial Flute Band, Newry
Celebrating it’s 140th anniversary last year, the Hunter Moore Memorial Flute Band was formed in 1884 on the northern outskirts of Newry by a farmer and former soldier, Joseph Ferris. Originally known as Sheepbridge Flute Band the band had fairly humble beginnings holding its weekly practices in a barn on its former founder’s farm. The band moved to its current home on the Belfast Road in Newry in 1908 when highly respected local solicitor, John Hunter Moore, granted them use of a single storey cottage which became known locally as “The Hut”, a name which has stuck with the band and by which it is still referred as today.In 1923 the band changed its name to Hunter Moore Memorial when its benefactor passed away.
The band is a member of the NIBA and FBA and competes at senior level. In addition to contests, the band carries out a range of engagements every year including concerts, church services, charity events and traditional parades. Their members come from all walks of life and range in age from 8 to 82 years old. It currently has five members with over 50 years’ service to the band, several of whom will be performing at this year’s Tattoo.
Having previously taken part in the second Belfast International Tattoo in 2014, the band is very much looking forward to taking part again in this year’s event.
Ballylone Concert Flute Band, Ballynahinch
Ballylone Concert Flute Band
Ballylone Concert Flute Band was formed in 1908 as a part music flute band by the young men of the
townland on the north-eastern outskirts of Ballynahinch. Its sole purpose at that time was to lead the
local lodge Ballylone Purple Guards LOL 1609 and it is a duty which is still carried out with aplomb
117 years later.
Family ties have always been an integral part of the Band from its inception and some of the original
family names such as Burrows, Harrison and Scott are now into their 3 rd and 4 th generations of
players.
Ballylone remained strictly a marching band for the next 4 decades with other engagements including
Sunday School excursions, British Legion parades and also leading the Ballylone Knights of the
Purple Rock RBP 275 from its foundation in 1935.
The Band entered the Contest arena for the first time in 1946 and had its first success a year later in
the North of Ireland Band Association Championship Grade 4 held in the Ulster Hall.
Over the years the Band successfully progressed through each grade until in 1997 it achieved the title
of Grade 1 Flute Band League Champions for the first time.
Ballylone Concert Flute Band became Grade 1 World Champions in the NIBA Contest of 2002 a feat
repeated 8 times since including 4 successes in the past 5 years. The Band has featured regularly over the past 30 years on the Radio Ulster programme “Strike up the Band” and more recently “Bandstand” and is now recognised as one of the top concert bands in
Northern Ireland.
On parade, the Ballylone Band has led the Ballynahinch District LOL No 17 on most of its milestone
occasions over many years such as the Covenant Parades in 1962 and 2012 and Tercentenary
Parades in Belfast, Loughgall and Carrickfergus. The Band have also performed at County Services
and at the Orange “Grands” Ceremony.
Today’s membership is still drawn mainly from Ballynahinch, although the band has members as far
afield as Carrickfergus and the Kingdom of Mourne. At present there are numerous family
connections and the dedication of the majority of the members has ensured that the Band continues
to flourish after 117 years of its existence.
The Band previously have performed in the Belfast Tattoo in 2014 with close neighbours Cahard,
Churchill from Londonderry and Hunter Moore Memorial from Newry forming a massed flute band of
over 100 players playing a varied programme of well-known marches and popular concert pieces.
The band’s activities can be viewed on the band’s Facebook page and numerous YouTube videos
can be found from parading, concerts and competitions.
The South Australian Precision Team, Australia
The South Australian Precision Team
The Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces, Finland
The Conscript Band of the
Finnish Defence Forces
The Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces has been in operation for over 30 years and is stationed
in the Armored Brigade in Hattula, Western Finland. Throughout the years Finland’s most talented and
motivated musicians, men and women, have served their mandatory military service in The Conscript band.
The minimum mandatory service in The Conscript Band lasts 9 months consisting of basic training for two
months and musical training for 7 months.
The Conscript Band of The Finnish Defence Forces is the brightest example of the Finnish national military
service system! The musical core of the show in Belfast tattoo is formed around great and renowned Finnish musical
themes. In their music The Conscript Band will also be sending their best wishes for the great figure of
Northern Irish musical history, Van Morrison. The Figure Marching band seen in the show consists of the
marching band, a drum line and a stage band accompanied by singers. A true specialty in the show is the
Rifle Drill Team whose rifles are fully working, chrome coated Finnish RK62 assault rifles that shine in the
bright lights of the great Belfast Tattoo arena! The soldiers that you see on the Belfast Tattoo stage have started their
military service in January this year.
Though many of our privates will continue on with music as a hobby some of them might make a career out
of it. The ones pursuing a career might be the future conductors like Santtu-Matias Rouvali or composer
and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish who have also served in The Conscript Band years
back. So, who knows, we might be witnessing the birth of the next future superstars among these musicians!
