Royal Tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms was held at the Agricultural Hall Islington from 21st to 26 June 1880. The Tournament was effectively a series of competitions contested by the officers and men of the regular and auxiliary units of the Army. Although crowds didn’t flock to the Tournament in the first year, it was held again in 1881 and subsequent years.
More audience friendly acts were added including music from military bands, re-enactments, Musical Rides by the Cavalry and Musical Drives by the Artillery. Crowds began to flock to performances at the Agricultural hall and during the early 1900’s the show outgrow its home and moved to the west London venue of Olympia. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force also became involved. The show was renamed a number of times until it finally became the Royal Tournament.
After the Second World War, the Tournament once again moved to a larger stage and opened its doors to the public at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. With the exception of the war years, the Tournament was staged every summer from 1880 to 1999. On Monday 2 August 1999, the Royal Tournament closed for the final time and entered the history books as the First, Oldest & Biggest Military Tattoo in the World.
