Vangelis and Westlife will play at 2003 Edinburgh Tattoo

EDINBURGH, UK (BBC) - Music by Irish pop band Westlife and Bladerunner composer Vangelis is to feature at this year's Edinburgh Tattoo. More than 1,000 performers - including some form Oman, South Korea and Switzerland - will feature at this year's event, the 45th.
The tattoo is to be held every night from 1 to 23 August around Edinburgh Castle.

The Massed Pipes & Drums, a traditional tattoo favourite, will this year feature Westlife's Queen of My Heart, and the soundtrack to Ridley Scott's 1992 Christopher Columbus film Conquest of Paradise, by Greek composer Vangelis.

Organisers said ticket sales for this year's event were 10,000 ahead of the same time last year. The strong ticket sales are despite fears the event would be damaged by a drop in tourists to the Scottish capital because of the recent war in Iraq.

Tattoo chief executive and producer, Brigadier Melville Jameson, said he was "thrilled" by the number of ticket applications.

Sell-out expected

"This production will resonate enormous colour and variety, embracing the talents of performers from eight countries from around the world, and includes a particularly strong home team," he said.
The tattoo is expected to sell out its 217,000 tickets for the fifth consecutive year.
Last year's event, opened by the Queen, was seen by a television audience of over 100 million.

A recent survey also found the event, which draws a third of its audience from outside the UK, generates some �76m into the Scottish economy.
The tattoo is seen as a mark of respect for the UK's armed forces.