This year's program offers several exotic groupings from all directions Basel Tattoo travel. Their performances are as varied as their origins. It's passionate and colorful when the 130-strong Banda Monumental de Mexico enters the arena. Let yourself be carried away by the spirited dancers, Aztecs and Mariachis and their cheerful show.

I continue with an oriental insert from Oman. The participation of the Combined Bands of the Royal Cavalry and the Royal Guard of Oman can be described as a great attraction. The formation last took part in an event on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee. The royally mounted band consists of 50 wind musicians and bagpipe players as well as 46 horses. On horseback and with a lot of girl power, they will cause a sensation. Come to Oman for a brief moment and feel the magic of the Middle East.

From the other end of the world comes New Zealand's musical "national team", the New Zealand Army Band. Their Maori interludes are very popular, and above all the Haka dance, which the musicians perform with wide eyes and loud screams. Don't get me wrong when they stick their tongues out at you at the end of their dance. It is part of their ritual, in which they express their courage and joy with their whole bodies. So experience an ancient, remarkable tradition up close and only on Basel Tattoo.