Sam Heughan Leads Tartan Day Parade in New York
Actor Sam Heughan has once again served as Grand Marshal for the annual Tartan Day parade in New York, marking his second time in this role since first leading the event in 2016.
The Outlander star expressed his honour at being selected to lead this year's parade, which takes place every April as the grand finale of Tartan Week. This week-long celebration highlights Scottish culture and the heritage of Scottish-Americans.
Tartan Week Celebrates Scottish Culture and Business
In addition to the parade, Tartan Week features trade delegations and networking events designed to promote Scotland's economic, cultural, and educational connections with the United States.
On Saturday, several thousand participants, including over 1,500 bagpipers and Highland dancers, marched down Sixth Avenue under clear spring skies.
Among the Scottish businesses involved was Walker's Shortbread, which commemorated its 50th year of US exports by unveiling a giant shortbread Scottie dog at the Algonquin Hotel. This display was composed of 1,400 individual shortbread pieces.
Business and Education Links Highlighted During Tartan Week
Author and 'Global Scot' Ian Houston described the Tartan Week celebrations as a significant event on his calendar, noting the extensive activities occurring behind the scenes.
"You have Scottish Chambers of Commerce here, Glasgow Chambers of Commerce, Moray Chambers of Commerce, you have various business entities here who are promoting business, SMEs, small business and investment in Scotland
VisitScotland are here, universities are here to ensure that students here have an opportunity to think about coming to Scotland to study - that's a business issue too."
History of the Tartan Day NYC Parade
The inaugural Tartan Day NYC parade took place in 1999, when a small group of Scottish Americans, led by actor Cliff Robertson—whose grandmother was Scottish—marched from the British Consulate to the United Nations building.
Over the years, the parade has been led by notable figures including Sir Sean Connery, Sir Billy Connolly, Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, Gail Porter, Karen Gillan, and KT Tunstall.
