The Tessera LED video processors from Brompton Technology played a key role in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s 75th anniversary tour.
This world-renowned show made a rare international appearance with performances in Brisbane (Australia) from 12–15 February, and in Auckland (New Zealand) from 19–21 February 2026.
The Heroes Who Made Us, featuring more than 1,100 international and local performers, was brought to life through an extraordinary LED installation powered by a Tessera SX40 4K LED processor and a Tessera XD 10G data distribution system, with full redundancy, all deployed and managed by Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand.
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The LED installation was monumental in scale. In Australia, the upstage main wall measured 50 m by 22 m, with a central cutout of 32 m by 4 m, totalling 875 square metres of ROE V6ST. A downstage wall measuring approximately 40.2 m by 9.6 m, around 250 square metres in its final configuration, used CB5 in T4 frames. In Auckland, a smaller but equally impressive setup was installed, using ROE MC7 for the upstage screen and ROE CBz5 for the downstage screen. Together, the screens created an immersive visual backdrop befitting the grandeur of the Tattoo’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
The choice of LED products was driven by the team’s familiarity with the equipment, as well as practical on-site considerations. The volume of available inventory, combined with the panels’ weight, integrated wind bracing, and modular design allowing real-time servicing, made this configuration the natural choice for an outdoor stadium environment. Each installation was completed in just two days, with rapid deployment essential to meeting client timelines.
A technically critical aspect of the show was the use of in-screen imaging, which required the system to be Genlocked end-to-end with minimal latency—features provided as standard by the Tessera SX40. The processor’s OSCA and DynaCal capabilities were also essential, ensuring a large, uniform canvas and consistent colour across the different LED types used. Reliability, as always, was paramount, and the Brompton system provided the confidence needed to deliver flawless performance across multiple shows.
For the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, this marked a historic milestone: the organisation had never before used screens of this scale in its performances. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive and was put to the test under adverse weather conditions. Rain fell during rehearsals and every performance, yet the LED system did not experience a single failure.
Working on a show of this scale and significance, and in these conditions, demands absolute confidence in the technology. The Brompton system gave us exactly that. We had two days to build these massive walls, and the speed and reliability of Brompton processing were crucial to making it happen. The end client, REMT, was using screens at this scale for the first time and was impressed by the performance. Not having a single issue despite all that rain is a testament to the robustness of the system and Creative Technology’s processes, says Jeremy Moore, Head of Displays at Creative Technology Australia & New Zealand.
The Brisbane and Auckland performances of The Heroes Who Made Us featured performers from Norway, Japan, Tonga and Australia, alongside massed pipes and drums, military bands, the Top Secret Drum Corps, and cultural dancers—a truly international celebration marking the Tattoo’s 75th anniversary. The shows generated strong demand, with many—if not all—performances sold out.
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of the most iconic live events in the world, so seeing it adopt LED screens at this scale for the first time, with Brompton at the heart of it, is truly exciting. The conditions were challenging, the timelines tight, and the system performed flawlessly. That’s what we design our products for, concludes Sebastian Kanabar, Head of Sales (APAC) at Brompton Technology.
Image credits: Cameron Richards, Matt Emptage, Phil Laverty
