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New York City Tartan Day Parade - Saturday, April 4th, 2020

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Let’s welcome Banff Castle Pipeband to the 2020 Tartan Day Parade proceedings!
Banff Castle Pipeband formed in 2009 by a Father and Son duo, Kevin and Andrew Cook, who are both pipers. Slowly, along with many family and friends, over the next few years the band grew into a fun-based marching band! There are currently 16 active band members and 6 or so learners in the wings.
Clad in Black Stewart Tartan in No2 Dress with the Drummajor in full No1 Regalia, they support as many of their local events as possible, ranging from fete’s to Highland Games.

The desire to attend the 2020 New York Tartan Week Tartan Day Parade has been mainly driven by the Drummajor who has wanted to attend for many years. When he finally decided to do it a few of the band members opted to accompany him.

The Drum Major is a Military Veteran with a full Colour service career in the Corps of the Royal Engineers (24 years Army) and was also born a bred in the town of Arbroath, location for the signing Declaration of Arbroath on the 6th April 1320 which formed the blueprint for the American Declaration of Independence.
We look forward to welcoming your small but mighty group to the streets of Manhattan in April! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #banffcastlepipeband #banff #banffcastle #pipeband #bagpipes

Unsure to what you’re doing at 4.30pm on Saturday the 4th of April? You do now, because the 2020 NYC Tartan Day Post Parade Party Tickets are on sale! With music from the brilliant @clannandrumma , @drumsnroses and @taliskmusic and drinks promotions from our amazing sponsors @belhavenbrews and @montaukdistillingco_ , it’s the perfect way to bring the party from the parade on #6thavenue to the dance floor of @sonyhall!

Tickets are available here https://m.bpt.me/event/4489926 (Instagram people - copy and paste to your browser.) We can’t wait to see you there! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #clannandrumma #drumsandroses #talisk #belhavenbrews #montaukdistilling #sonyhall #postparadeparty

NYC Tartan Week 2020 Merchandise is here! Pre-Order today for worldwide shipping on January 31st - plenty of time to be fully kitted out to show your support on April 4th!
With proceeds supporting NYC Tartan Week, now is your chance to snap up our limited edition T-shirts, hoodies and pins from the link in our bio! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #myheartistartan

Happy New Year/Hogmany from all of us @nyctartanweek, thank you for an amazing 2019! Here’s to an unforgettable 2020...it’s only 95 days until #tartanday 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🥂 🇺🇸

Merry Christmas from all of us @nyctartanweek to you and yours!

We are so happy that The Edinburgh Academy Pipes and Drums are going to join us for their third trip up 6th Avenue next year for the NYC Tartan Day Parade!
The Edinburgh Academy was opened as a school in 1824 to promote classical learning and teach Greek to compete with schools in England, it had as one of its first members of the Board of Director's Sir Walter Scott. The Pipes and Drums was formed in 1910 as part of the Officer Training Corps which was founded in Great Britain in 1906 and started at the school in 1908, it is now called the Combined Cadet Force at the school. The school has had nine Victoria Crosses awarded to former pupils, the most from any one school in Scotland. It is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system and is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy"

The school is also famous for its rugby and it has the oldest continuous rugby match in the world against another school in the Edinburgh and they have been playing without a break since 1858. It has had seven rugby internationalists attend the school. Some other famous former pupils who have attended the school are novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, mathematical physicist James Clerk Maxwell and ‪Coldplay‬ guitarist ‪Guy Berryman‬. Also in 2016 former pupil John Michael Kosterlitz was a Nobel Prize winner in Physics.

Pipe Major Michael Gray has this to say about their forthcoming trip ‘The Pipes and Drums play at many school events throughout the year and have taken part in the Tartan Day parade twice before in 2007 and 2016. The band enjoyed the experiences before - playing up Sixth Avenue and being live on television were highlights of the trip last time. We are all looking forward to coming back in 2020 and visiting your great city again!
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #edinburghacademy #edinburghaccies #pipeband #bagpipes

Happy St. Andrew’s Day to all!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at @nyctartanweek to all of you! We are truly thankful to you all for your love and continued support!

We’re happy to announce that the Isle of Cumbrae Pipe Band will be joining us for the New York Tartan Day Parade 2020!

The Isle of Cumbrae, or Great Cumbrae is situated just off the West Coast of Scotland, easily accessible by a short 10 minute ferry ride from Largs, Ayrshire. It’s the larger of the two Cumbrae Islands at 4 miles long by 2.5 miles at it’s widest point. This might sound small but it makes it the 45th largest Scottish island out of 790!
The main and only town on the island is Millport with a population of about 1200, swelling to around 3000 in summer.
In 1999 the Millport branch of the Royal British Legion resolved to start a Pipe Band. This resulted in the Isle of Cumbrae Royal British Legion Scotland Pipe Band, with it still going strong today. With a playing corps of about 30, the band have represented the island throughout Scotland and Europe at festivals and events, notably being the lead Scottish band at the Lorient Interceltique Festival in Brittany, France – the largest celtic festival in the world. They have also been regularly invited to play at Balmoral Castle and the world famous Braemar Gathering before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Excitingly, for 2020 the band have determined to take part in the acclaimed Tartan Day parade in New York. Wearing their distinctive Isle of Cumbrae tartan they hope to bring their own take on the traditions of the Highland pipe band to the streets of Manhattan. Pipe Major David says “We hope that if you meet us you’ll take the time to say hi - we’re a pretty friendly bunch! Oh, and if you do speak to us, don’t forget to ask about the crocodile on our badge!” We really look forward to officially welcoming you to the 2020 NYC Tartan Day Parade (and quizzing you about the mysterious croc....) We’ll see you in April!
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #isleofcumbrae #pipeband #bagpipes

Thank you to all those past and present who have fought for their country. We so often take our freedom for granted and must remember the sacrifices so many have made. Lest we forget 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇸

Happy 244th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps! Thank you to all who have served or are serving our country 🇺🇸

On International Stout Day 2019 we want to show some love to Scotland’s oldest working brewery and @nyctartanweek’s official beer sponsor @belhavenbrews! Huge thanks for all your support (and delicious beer) over the last few years. We’ll be sure to raise a glass or three of Belhaven Black Scottish Stout this evening to celebrate the day! .
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#internationalstoutday #scottishstout #stout #belhavenbrews #belhavenblack #nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica

Whether you’re carving your turnip, dookin’ for apples or guising round the neighbours, have a Happy Halloween from all of us @nyctartanweek 🎃

Billy Connolly's new book, TALL TALES AND WEE STORIES coming October 2019!
In December 2018, after 50-years of belly-laughs, energy, outrage and enjoyment, Sir Billy Connolly announced his retirement from stand-up comedy. His has been an extraordinary career.

When he first started out in the late Sixties, Billy played the banjo in the folk clubs of Glasgow. Between songs, he would improvise a bit, telling anecdotes from the Clyde shipyard where he worked. Soon, the songs became shorter and the monologues longer, and Billy quickly became recognized as one of the most exciting comedians of his generation.
Tall Tales and Wee Stories brings together the very best of Billy's storytelling for the first time and features his most famous routines including, “The Last Supper”, “Jojoba Shampoo”, “Incontinence Pants” and “Shouting at Wildebeest”. With an introduction and original illustrations by Billy, it is an inspirational, energetic and riotously funny read, and a fitting celebration of one of the finest comedians. .
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#sirbillyconnolly #tworoadspublishing #talltalesandweestories #nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica

Last but not least in our Viking Series is Up Helly Aa - Lerwick. In 6 months these 3 Jarl Squads will unite and parade up 6th Avenue in Manhattan. We can’t wait! Thank you so much to Dwayne Davies for providing us with the fascinating history and stories too.
Lerwick Up Helly Aa is a relatively modern festival. There’s some evidence that rural Shetland celebrate the 24th day after Christmas as ‘Antonsmas’ or ‘Up Helly Night’ but there is no evidence that their cousins in Lerwick did the same. The emergence of Yuletide and New Year festivities in the town seems to post-date the Napoleon Wars, when soldiers and sailors came home with rowdy habits and a taste for firearms!

As Lerwick grew in size the celebrations became more elaborate. Around 1840 the participants introduced burning tar barrels into the proceedings. The main streets were extremely narrow, and rival groups of tar barrelers frequently clashed. The events were extremely dangerous and Lerwick’s middle classes frequently complained about them. The end came for tar-barrelling in the early 1870s. It seems to have been because the young Lerwegians had decided it was time for change. The name was improvised to Up-Helly-A and celebrations were gradually postponed until the end of January. They introduced a far more elaborate element of disguise ‘guizing’ into the new festival and inaugurated a (tar free) torchlight procession.
In the late 1880s a Viking longship ‘the Galley’ appeared, and around 1906 a ‘Guizer Jarl’, the chief guizer, arrived on the scene. It wasn’t until after the First World War however that there was a squad of Vikings, the ‘Guizer Jarl Squad’ in the procession every year.

Despite some changes, additional resources and of course moving with the times there are numerous threads connecting the Up Helly A of today with the predecessors 150 years ago.
Up Helly Aa in Lerwick is due to take place on January 28 2020 lead by Liam Summers.
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #uphellyaa #jarlsquad #vikings #shetland #delting #lerwick #bressay

Next up in our Viking series is Up Helly Aa - Bressay!

The tradition of Up Helly Aa has been alive in Bressay since the early 1930s, although the festival hasn’t run annually since then.

The first festival was held in 1930. Only a few details are known about it: the first galley was constructed at a fish processing factory, and consisted of a painted Shetland Model, with a tail and head added.

Festivals were held for the following four years. The procession lit up and started out from the Tae Well (Roadside) and later from the Eunsons. It consisted of about 70-90 participants, both male and female. They all walked single file along past the Shop, Hall and School. The burning of the galley took place North-by the Old Manse on a vacant piece of ground loaned from Hoversta Farm except in 1933 when the burning took place at Hunchiebanks.

About seven or eight squads entertained at the hall, and as today their acts could be colourful costumes, dances or some local skit. Dancing usually went on until around 6am. Teas were provided in the hall by the Ladies Committee and the cost of a ticket to Bressay Up Helly Aa in the 1930's would have been in the regions of 2/6.

Unfortunately there were no further festivals after 1934 as the hall which at that time was a Kirk Hall which was was not allowed to be used for the purpose.

Luckily the festival was re-established in 1962, after a public meeting was held the previous year to gauge interest and Bressay Up Helly Aa has been held annually ever since! Up Helly Aa in Bressay is due to take place on February 28 2020 lead by James Anderson with the traditional procession.
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #uphellyaa #jarlsquad #vikings #shetland #delting #lerwick #bressay

First up in our Viking Spotlight is Up Helly Aa - Delting!

Originally founded in 1970 and run as a school, the group was organised by teachers and parents of the district. Children would perform comedy acts to audiences in the school and local public hall as well as the Jarl squad (vikings). Come darkness, the children would form ranks from the school in Brae then march to the local bonfire location to send the said years Galley boat (Viking longship) on its way to Valhalla with an ablaze of fiery torches burning inside the boat. The night would then spill into the halls for squads to perform acts, spend time with loved ones, feast, drink, sing and dance the night away, which is still how the festival is run to this day.
In 1982 a group local enthusiasts gathered together with the intention to upgrade the festival’s size and include surrounding areas within the district of Delting, turning it into an adult festival which also included the children. This helped support the teachers and like many festivals, growing year by year meant a committee of volunteers were built to organise, plan and prepare the whole year round for the following years festival.
Nearly 40 years later, the current committee consists of around 18 members who dedicate many hours throughout the year to prepare for the event. The festival has established itself as a world wide phenomenon, with people travelling from far and wide to witness the spectacle!
This year will see the largest Jarl squad not only in Delting, but that Shetland has ever seen with 73 men, 5 boys and 5 princesses. The squad have been underway preparing suit designs since 2017 and started suit production in April this year. The 83 strong squad consists of members from Scotland, Ireland, Wales & England which is also a first for Delting having all 4 British nationalities in the same squad!
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #uphellyaa #jarlsquad #vikings #shetland #delting #lerwick #bressay

#TBT let’s throw it back to April when Sir Billy Connolly stood proud on Manhattan’s 6th Avenue as the Grand Marshal of the NYC Tartan Day Parade!
We’d love to take a moment to appreciate the organisations and people in this photo and thank them for all that they do, keeping Scottish heritage alive and well even though they’re thousands of miles away from the mainland!
Let’s hear it for the National Tartan Day New York Committee, Saint Andrews Society, New York Caledonian Club, American Scottish Foundation, Clan Campbell, Carnegie Hall, the Scottish Government and of course Sir Billy’s family and friends that made this unforgettable experience possible! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica

It’s official, Vikings will be taking to the streets of Manhattan in 2020! We’re proud to announce the Jarl Squad are taking part in the Official NYC Tartan Week Tartan Day Parade!
Two weeks after the world famous bucket list festival, Delting Up Helly Aa in Shetland (where NYC Tartan Week President Kyle Dawson @tartan_prez will have the honour of leading the squad on the bagpipes along with local musicians), the Jarl Squad is taking on the venture of attending NYC Tartan Week.
This year the group have teamed up with the Lerwick and Bressay squads on the joint trip across the pond, with a mighty 120 people travelling from Shetland which will include 80 Vikings, making it the largest group to date making the journey!
Stay tuned to find out a bit more about the iconic Vikings that we had the pleasure of first meeting in 2013. We are very excited to welcome back to NYC to help us celebrate Scottish culture! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #parade #clan #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #2020 #uphellyaa #jarlsquad #vikings #shetland #delting #lerwick #bressay

This weekend sees the 44th New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival take place at Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, NH! Our president, @tartan_prez will be there so keep your eyes peeled on social media for some pictures of the event!
From Friday to Sunday, it’s the largest and most diverse Scottish cultural festival in America’s Northeast and with everything from Sheepdog trials to Fiddle Championships, it’s sure to be a fun packed Scottish weekend! Check out the programme of events here https://nhscot.org/pdf/2019%20Festival%20Guide.pdf?fbclid=IwAR00Zyk2TVPWvx5D57gcfC4O2km3UIfydvnfIpBC3BOseCSOJejEIXYVM_A

New Hampshire Highland Games are a proud sponsor of the Official NYC Tartan Day After Party, and we love working with them and supporting their cause, as they do for us! .
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#nyctw #nyctartanweek #tartanday #newyork #scotland #scotsinnewyork #scotsinamerica #newhampshire #newhampshirescots #nhscots #scottishfestival #highlandgames #loonmountainresort #lincolnnh

National Tartan Day New York Committee
150 East 55th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022
(212) 980-0844

Contact us: info@nyctartanweek.org

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