Beating Retreat

This annual concert was performed on Horse Guards Parade in front of the beautiful backdrop of St James’s Park on evenings preceding the Queen’s Birthday Parade, or ‘Trooping the Colour’ as it is called. Military Beating Retreat concerts have a long tradition dating back to the 1690s. Originally the beating of the drum was used to order troops to break off fighting and withdraw to the safety of camp as darkness fell, later it signalled the closing of the camp gates at the end of the day and called troops back to base for the night. Today a Beating Retreat is an evening military concert with a marching display and usually marks the lowering of the Regimental flag at sunset. Always an enjoyable event for the choir!