Tartan Day Events Around the World

The world's only tartan balloon - "Slainte" - with a New Mexico Tartan envelope.
Contributed by Ashworth Ballooning USA for Rampant Scotland.com


Introduction
In 1998 the US Senate designated 6 April each year as Tartan Day "in recognition of the monumental achievements and invaluable contributions made by Scottish Americans." Previously, in some parts of the US, and in other parts of the world (notably Canada where a Tartan Day was already in place) special events had been held to celebrate this day. But the Senate resolution has provided a further impetus and a growing number of organisations and individuals are having their own local festivities. So that these events can gain further publicity within the world-wide Scottish community, and to allow as many people as possible to participate, the details of a number of these celebrations are listed below. So if there is a Tartan Day function in your area, come along and join the other folk who have a pride in Scotland who will be there!

Thanks are due to the many people who have contributed to this listing. If you know of an event in your part of the world, send an e-mail to Scottie with the details.

List of Locations
You can browse through the events listed below or click on the index to jump to a particular location.




Akron, OH
The Scottish American Society located in Northeast Ohio, will celebrate Tartan Day on April 9th - 1pm with a Tartan Day Dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse, 510 S. Main, Akron OH, with Master of Ceremoniees Alex Murray, Piper Brian McElhinney, Tigh na Creige Highland Dancers; Bob Hawes, storyteller. For more information, contact Margaret Frost @ 330-903-4573. For reservations, e-mail Margaret Frost.

Atlanta, Georgia
Hosted by Kilt Con and 2 others on Thursday, April 6 at 7 PM - 11 PM EDT at Mac McGee, 111 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030. See Facebook

Auckland, New Zealand
The Scottish Clans Association - Auckland District Incorporated, celebrate Scottish Day Day in 2017 on Sunday 2 April 1-am to 5pm as part of Auckland International Festival in War Memorial Park, May Road in Mt Roskill. See www.scottishclans.co.nz.

Austin, TX
There will be a State of Texas ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, from 11am to 2pm on April 6th, with a piper playing and Scottish dancers in honour of Tartan Day. Official reading of the National Tartan Day Proclamation is scheduled for Noon in the Rotunda - free to the public. See also Texas Scottish Heritage Society.

Bloomington, IN
The Scottish Society of Greater Bloomington will be celebrating Tartan Day April 8th, 2017 at the College Mall Krogers, Bloomington, Indiana 2pm to 5pm.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires Tartan Day 2017 will be celebrated on Saturday 1 April next to the City Hall at the corner of Mayo Ave. and Bolivar Street at 12 pm. There will be a Celtic Fair on the street and at 1pm the opening celebrations on the stage in front of the City Hall that will include the installations of the Grand Marshal and the Key Bearer of the symbolic key to the gate of Arbroath's Abbey and continuing with the Bussing and Casting of the Colours of the City of Buenos Aires and a call to the Gathering of the Clans displaying the Crann Tara. The signing of the Declaration of Arbroath will be re-enacted and the Buenos Aires Scottish Guard will then lead a parade at 1.30pm along Mayo Ave. followed by various Scottish interest groups and friends. The participants will remember their cultural heritage and the contributions of Scots and Scots-Argentines to the history and development of Argentina. At the end of the walk, pipers will entertain the public and music and dances will be presented on the stage. The event will be closed at 6pm by the authorities of the Scottish Argentine Society and the City Hall.

Belpre, OH
The Scottish & Celtic Heritage Society is sponsoring a Tartan Day Tea on April 2, 12:30 and 4 p.m., at the Unicorn Wine Guild in Belpre, Ohio. Tickets are $25. There will be bagpipes, door prizes, genealogy help in addition to the traditional Scottish tea. All proceeds from the tea go to the Scottish & Celtic Heritage Festival which is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m., April 18 at Unicorn Wine Guild, 1816 Washington Blvd., Belpre.. The festival will feature Scottish, Irish music and dancing, children's activities, Bonnie Knees competition; vendors, artisans, raffles including a Scottish Broadsword. Tickets to the festival are $5 for adults, children 12 and under are free. For more information email: scotandceltfest@att.net.

Cape Town, South Africa
Scottish Country Dancers in Cape Town will be holding a Tartan Day Dance on Monday 3 April 2017. For further information visit Cape Town Scottish Country Dancing, News and events. Spectators and newcomers to Scottish Country Dancing are most welcome. Dances in the programme include 'Tartan Rainbow' and local favourites such as 'Road to McGregor'.
Also our Cape Town Caledonian Society will be having a Tartan Day event on 6 April - a dinner but details are not yet finalized.

Chemainus, Vancouver Island, British Coumbia, Canada
In years gone by, Chemainus, Vancouver Island, B.C. was known as Scots Town. For Tartan Week in Chemainus, Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society usually arranges for a number of local store windows to be decorated with tartan during the first ten days of April and for an article in the local paper to inform the community of the display locations to honour the contributions of the Scotish pioneers in Canada.

Chicago, IL
The Illinois St Andrew Society has organised a Tartan Day Celebration on Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Duke of Perth (2913 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60657), featuring Piper Dave Johnston from Chicalba Bagpiping Services and the Thistle & Heather Highland Dancers. Drink Specials will be available and a free raffle to win passes to the 31st Scottish Festival & Highland Games

Cincinnati, OH
The Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes & Drums will be hosting their Tartan Day Ceilidh on Saturday April 8th, 2016, 6:00pm-10:00pm at at American Legion Post 72 in Mt. Carmel. See Cincinnati Caledonian Pipes & Drums for more information and tickets.

Coldwater, MI

Columbia, SC
The 7th annual Tartan Day South Carolina Highland Games and Celtic Festival is a four day celebration from March 29 2017 to April 2, 2017 of Celtic heritage in the area. An array of unique sports, music, foods, and exhibitions. Highland Athletics, Traditional Dancing, Great Celtic Music, Mass Pipe Bands, Sheep Dog Herding, Birds of Prey, Traditional Food & Drink, Genealogy, Classic British Car Show, Celtic Clans & Societies, Axe Tossing & Archery, Celtic Marketplace, Kids Rides and Play Area, Kirkin´ of the Tartans. 2001 Charleston Highway Cayce, South Carolina. See Tartan Day South Highland Games & Celtic Festival

Dallas, TX
April 5 - The Scottish Society of Dallas are attending the Frisco Ballpark Rough Riders vs Springfield Cardinals. Baseball Game April 6th Game starts at 7:05pm.

Denver, CO
Colorado was the second state to designate a State Tartan and and further details of their Tartan Day events can be found at the Colorado Tartan Day website. This year's Tartan Festival is on Saturday and Sunday, April 8 & 9 in Longmont, CO. in Roosevelt Park at 700 Longs Peak Ave, Longmont, CO 80501. Learn about Scottish/Irish/Celtic History from various clans. Performances by Bagpipe Bands, Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers and Historical Re-enactors.

Dunedin, FL
Sister city to Stirling, Scotland, Denedin is celebrating its Annual Dunedin Highland Games & Festival on April 1 2017 in Highlander Park, Dunedin, Florida. Gathering of the Clans & Parade of Tartans, Massed Pipers, Drummers & Dancers,Massed Drum Salute on Pipe Band Parade on Friday, March 31st at 6:30 pm. See their Web Site for more information.

Ellis Island, NY
Tartan Day on Ellis Island is one of the principal Scottish heritage events in the United States. Tartan Day on Ellis Island is produced by the Clan Currie Society - one of the largest Scottish heritage organizations in the United States and this year's event focuses on a celebration of tartan.. The celebration runs from April 6-9, 2017. For additional information, visit: www.tartandayonellisisland.com or www.facebook.com/TartanDayonEllisIsland.

There is no admission charge to the Tartan Day events or the immigration museum. Passenger ferries run from Battery Park in New York City and Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. For complete ferry schedules to Ellis Island, visit www.statuecruises.com.

Fergus, Ontario, Canada
Fergus, Ontario (twinned with Blairgowrie, Scotland) dates back over 175 years and is proud of its Scottish Heritage. If our summer Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games isn't enough we dust off our kilts each Tartan Day with a downtown celebration worthy of our forefathers! Festivities begin on Sunday 9th April at 11.30am with a kilted kilometer run around the town (kilts mandatory!), then all afternoon there is celtic music in all our downtown pubs and eateries , storytelling, wandering pipe bands, heavy event demonstrations, high tea and plenty of other events for all the family. It's a little piece of Scotland in the heart of Ontario!
See aDowntown Fergus for details.

Fremont, CA
Fremont Tartan Day Scottish Faire 2014 will be held on Saturday April 1st, 2017, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Ardenwood Historic Farm 34600 Ardenwood Blvd., Fremont, San Francisco East Bay Area, CA. Bagpipe bands, Highland and Scottish Country dancing, authentic Scottish food, folk singers, craft and jewelry vendors, clan booths, Scottish fiddlers, harpists, historical re-enactment groups, birds of prey demonstrations, and lots more entertainment and things to see and buy! For more information visit tartanday.eastbayscots.org. Admission (tickets at the gate only) $12 adults, $8 seniors (62+), $5 children (4-17 yrs), kids 3 & under are free.

Greensboro, NC
On April 11th, from 10 until 1 at the David Caldwell Visitor Center, next to Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden.

Halifax, Nova Scotia
The concept of "Tartan Day" began at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia (now named Federation for Scottish Culture in Nova Scotia) on 09 March 1986 and an annual Tartan Day was proclaimed in Nova Scotia on 6 April 1987.

Los Angeles, CA
The St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles and Clan Currie present a Tartan Day Celebration on Saturday 15th April, 2017, 6:00 p.m. at the Intercontinental Hotel, 2151 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, California 90067. Dinner, Celtic Music, Pipe Band, Highland Dancers, Friends & Clans from all over southern California. Details and Ticket reservation Form Ian J. Skone-Rees 818-634-4158 or Nellie Graham Lowry at LowryLines@aol.com or phone 818-886-4968.

Martha's Vineyard, MA
Scottish Society of Martha's Vineyard will celebrate National Tartan Day, on Saturday, April 8 from 1PM to 3 PM at the Chilmark Library See also

Minden, LA
Scottish Society of the Louisiana Hielands is sponsoring their Annual Scottish Tartan Festival on April 8 2017, Scotland Farms, US 79 & LA 518, in Minden, Louisiana, celebrating Scottish culture and heritage through living history exhibits, Scottish cattle herding, demonstration of the Highland games, Gaelic language seminar and bagpipe music, genealogy. Entry into the festival is $7.00 per adult, $5.00 for children aged 6-12, ages and under 6 are admitted free of charge.

Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Scots and the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans have organised a Tartan Week on April 1, from 11am to 5pm 2017 at the Landmark Center, 75 5th St E, St Paul, MN 55102, featuring Raven's Fire, The Northerly Gales and The Gunn Slingers.

New York, NY
Tartan Day in New York isSaturday April 8th and details on the events are available on the website at Tartan Week The main event is, of course, the parade organised by The National Tartan Day New York Committee, with over a thousand pipers and drummers marching along Sixth Avenue on Saturday, 8th April. The Tartan Day Parade will start at 2:00 p.m. and proceed north along Sixth Avenue from 46th to 58th Street past Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, finishing just opposite Carnegie Hall, named for the renowned Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. Actor Tommy Flanagan, born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, will be the Grand Marshal and will lead the parade.

New Zealand
Tartan Day in New Zealand is always the 1st of July or the nearest Sunday. This commemorates the repeal, on 1st July 1782, of the Act proscribing the Tartan. Information of events in New Zealand are available from Ballantrae, P O Box 33581, Takapuna, New Ulster, New Zealand.

Orlando, Florida
On Thursday, April 6, at McGinnty´s Irish Pub, 5406 Hansel Avenue, Edgewood, FL 32809. Featuring Live Celtic Music. See also Kilt Con.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band cordially invites everyone to celebrate Tartan Day on Sunday, April 23 - National Tartan Day Celebrations, Parliament Hill - 12 noon to 1:30 pm. Come out in your tartans and be counted - they record all the tartans worn on that day. Pipes, drums, highland and Scottish country dancing make for a terrific celebration of heritage and culture. See also Sons of Scotland Pipe Band of Ottawa - Tartan Day and National Tartan Day in Canada

Pheonix, AZ
Arizona Caledonian Society is holding a special event on Saturday April 8th to celebrate Tartan Week. More information fsoon from their Web site.

Parkersburg, W.Va
The 2017 Scottish & Celtic Heritage Festival will feature daylong entertainment including Melinda Crawford, a world class Scottish Fiddler. The festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 15 at the City Park Pavilion. There will be two sittings this year, one at 12:30 the other at 4 p.m. See also their Web site: Scottish and Celtic Heritage Festival or email scotandceltfest@aol.com

Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh´s Tartan Day Celebration in 2017 will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 10am to 4:30pm. The event will take place at Bethel Presbyterian Church, Bethel Park, PA. Expect to learn something new and celebrate scottish heritage with clan activities, Scottish food, children's activities, raffles, and more. For further information, checkout the website at Saint Andrew's Society of Pittsburgh.

Quebec, Canada
In 2003, the Quebec National Assembly passed an Act recognising that Scottish immigrants first settled in Quebec over 400 years ago, making the Scots one of the founding peoples of Quebec and that the Scottish community of Quebec has significantly contributed to the economic, social and cultural development of the province. The Act also proclaimed Tartan Day to be 6 April in each and every year. Other than the French who constitute the majority of citizens in the province, no other nationality or group of ethic origin has ever received such an honour.

Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill, NC
Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle (SCOT) Tartan Day is on Thursday, April 6 2017 is daylong celebration of bagpipes, Highland dancing, genealogy discussions, demonstrations, Scottish food, and a few surprises It presents some of the best of Scotland while telling the story of Scots in North Carolina. The concert, in Daniels Auditorium, features WRAL anchor Bill Leslie and other performers in an energetic evening of Celtic-inspired music. from 9am to 5pm.

Reno, NV
The Scottish American Military Society will hold their Annual Tartan Day events with a "Scottish Take-Over" on Friday, March 31st (7am-9pm) at PJs, at 1590 South Wells Ave Reno NV 89502. The event explains what Tartan Day (April 6th ) means to us Scots. The SAMS Post 1864 members (decked out in kilt and uniform) will decorate the venue with Tartans and banners, setup a tent in the parking lot for SAMS information & membership and promote the upcoming Tartan Day Ceilidh and will provide short bread cookies to the clientele of PJs and have pipers performing at various times throughout the day. They will be selling raffle tickets and we will entertain the clientele with music, song, and dance throughout the day.
There is also a Tartan Day Ceilidh on Saturday, April 8th at 4.3o p.m. to 9 p.m. which is the main fundraiser for Scottish American Military Society's charities. The entrance fee is $10 per person, children (accompanied by parents) under the age of 18 free. The Post provides the bangers, burgers, buns, & potato salad, while our friends and participants provide the pot-luck items for the party. The event provides entertainers, both Celtic and Bluegrass, that have donated their time and talents to entertain that day. The mainliner this year is "Sage Creek" a wonderful local bluegrass band. They will also have the Sierra Highlander Pipe & Drum Band entertain the audience. Tartan Day is being honored with a presentation of the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Bill of Right (amendments) and the Scottish influence on their creation. Of course there will be wonderful raffles items available and the Bonnie-knee contest for the ladies to get involved. The liquid refreshments will be available at the Ceilidh by the Ceol´s Irish Pub mobile truck (cash bar). The location of the event is the VFW California building (75 Cowan Drive, Reno NV) in Eidlewild Park.

Sacramnto, Florida
Hosted by Kilt Con at the Rubicon Brewery & Pub, 2004 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95811 om April 6, 2017 at 6pm.

Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Scottish Association is holding a Tartan Ball on Saturday April 8, 2017 at the Sons of the Pioneers Building, 3301 E. Louise Ave, Salt Lake City with a Dinner, Grand March and Scottish Country Dancing.

San Antonio, TX
The two-day San Antonio Highland Games and Celtic Festival for 2017 is on Saturday April 1, 9am to 7pm and Sunday April 2, 11am to 6pm at the Helotes Fairgrounds, 12210 Leslie Road, Helotes.

Tidewater / Virginia Beach, VA
There will be a Tartan Day Ceilidh, hosted by the Scottish Society of Tidewater on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at 3:30pm to 5:00pm at MacArthur Memorial Courtyard, Downtown Norfolk. In a change of pace from the usual Tartan Day Ceilidh at the Church of the Ascension, this year they are holding the Tartan Day Ceilidh at the MacArthur Memorial Courtyard in downtown Norfolk. See details at Scottish Society of Tidewater - Events

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The first official Annual Tartan Day in Toronto organised by the St Andrew's Society of Toronto took place on April 13th, 2007. In 2017 the event is on Friday April 7 with a Tartan Day Dinner & Ceilidh Dance. This will be an enjoyable evening of good fun and good fellowship and a great way to re-master those dance skills that mastered at the St Andrews Charity Ball..

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
The St. Andrew's and Caledonian Society and other Scottish groups in Victoria, British Columbia will celebrate the "Tartan Day Victoria" events:
On Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 10:00 am - The Sons of Scotland Benevolent Association has organised a Kirkin´ o´ the Tartan at St. Aidan's United Church.

On Saturday, April 8, 2016, 12:00 to 4:00. The Victoria Highland Games Association has organised a Tartan Day Celebration at Centennial Square with a pipe band, Celtic Rock band, dancers, heavy events demo etc.



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