It feels like the dust's barely settled on the 2010 Festival, but the first tickets for next year are about to go on sale.  Seats for the 2011 Edinburgh Military Tattoo - the unmatched soldierly spectacle which wows crowds of 8,500 nightly in front of Edinburgh Castle - will be released online today.  And with demand always strong for this iconic event, there's no time to waste securing your place.

Cast of the 2007 Tattoo at the Festivals Cavalcade

Choosing when to go

The Tattoo runs from Friday 5 August to Saturday 27 August 2011, excluding Sundays.  Weekday performances are at 9pm; Saturday performances are at 7:30pm and 10:30pm.  For a full list of dates and times, see the Tattoo's own website.

There's one performance on weekdays and two performances on Saturdays.  The later Saturday show is followed by a fireworks display.  There's an extra £3 charge for the fireworks but it's well worth it.

But remember the late Saturday performance doesn't finish until well after midnight - the fireworks aren't so good that they're worth a nightmare journey home.

If you have limited mobility and need to be dropped off in a car, we're afraid you can't go on a Saturday - you'll have to choose a weekday.  Apart from the fireworks, all the performances are exactly the same.

The Tattoo's just one of the Festivals which will be coming to Edinburgh in August 2010.  If you'd like to combine your Tattoo trip with a little extra culture, check out our guide to all Edinburgh's Festivals and then time your visit using our detailed Festival calendar.

Picking your seat

When you book your Tattoo tickets, you'll be able to choose the area of the stands you want to sit in.  Wherever you choose, it isn't cheap - prices range from £23 to £55 a seat, a notable hike compared to last year.  For a full seating chart, take a look on the Tattoo's own website.

This year sees the first outing for the Tattoo's brand-new grandstand seating, which promises better views and greater comfort (though you'll still get wet if it rains!)  That makes it difficult to predict where the best seats are going to be - but based on our experience of the old stands, this is what we'd recommend.

Seats on the East side, in sections 7 to 10, are a lot more expensive - and will sell out much faster.  The view of the action really isn't that much better, but you do get to see it all framed against the jaw-dropping backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

On the North or South sides, you'll get a great view from anywhere in areas 3 to 5 or 12 to 14.  Areas 2 and 15 are okay, but in areas 1, 16 and 17 you'll be looking at the performers from behind.  We think that's a false economy.

Pick the North side, areas 1 to 6, if you're desperate for a good view of the iconic lone piper - who closes the performance each night.  But don't worry about being exactly in the centre - the performers march up and down so everyone gets a good look.

If you want a specific seat (for example, if you suffer from vertigo and want a seat lower down in the stands), you can't book online.  You'll need to send in a postal application, or call the Tattoo box office once it opens on Wednesday 8 December.

How to book

The Tattoo usually "sells out" very quickly, but it's worth knowing that many of the tickets go to hospitality companies who sell them on.  Often, tickets they haven't shifted are returned in the Spring, then go on sale to the general public.  So if you're sure you want to go to the Tattoo, book now... but if you aren't, there's still a good chance of getting a place if you leave it till next year.

The easiest way to book your seats is online, through the Tattoo website.  Don't hang about - the most desirable seats, especially those in the East stand for a Saturday, go quickly.  The website's likely to be very busy at the moment, but you can get on with a bit of persistence and once logged in it seems fine.

If you need to discuss special seating requirements, or if you just prefer to deal with a real person, you'll have to wait a week until phone sales open.  They'll be answering 0131 225 1188 from 10am on Wednesday 8 December, but be warned that some dates and a lot of seating blocks are likely to have sold out by then.

Finally, if you like to mosey on down in person, the counter at 33-34 Market Street will be open from 10am to 4:30pm on weekdays only, starting on Wednesday 15 December.  Note that Market Street is behind Waverley Station, and confusingly, is nowhere near the Spirit of the Tattoo visitor centre near the Castle.

Whichever way you choose - good luck getting the tickets you're after, and we at FringeGuru hope you enjoy the show.  If you've found this page useful, you can get updates on all the Edinburgh Festival ticket launches by signing up to our unintrusive email service, Ticket Alert.