History
Hamina Tattoo International Military Music Event was organised for the first time in 1990.
The original idea of military music days came about in the early 1980s within the tourist service of Hamina. The Finnish Defence Forces have provided invaluable support throughout the history of the Hamina Tattoo.
The Hamina Tattoo has established its position as a major event in military music, arranged every second year. The Hamina Tattoo is nowadays arranged in the first week in August. Since 1998, the main events of the Tattoo, in other words the March Shows, have been arranged at the renovated and covered Hamina Bastion right in the centre of the town.
Military bands in Hamina Tattoo
The military bands that have performed in the Hamina Tattoo have come for example from Sweden, Russia, Federal Republic of Germany, Democratic Republic of Germany, Poland, Norway, France, Great Britain, USA, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Netherlands, Turkey, China, India, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
The Finnish bands have been for example the Guards Band, Navy Band, Karelia Band, Dragoon Band, The Air Force Band, The Lapland Military Band and Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces.
The popularity and increasingly international aspect of the Hamina Tattoo have supported the position of military music in Finland. Since the 1990s, Finnish military bands have also appeared successfully in similar events outside Finland.
The patrons of the Hamina Tattoo have been Governor Matti Jaatinen, Defence Minister Elisabeth Rehn, Admiral Jan Klenberg, General Gustav Hägglund and Admiral Juhani Kaskeala, General Ari Puheloinen and President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö. From 2016, General Jarmo Lindberg has served as the patron of the Hamina Tattoo.
The guests of honour of the March Shows have included President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic Martti Ahtisaari, President Mauno Koivisto, Speaker Riitta Uosukainen and Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen.