View source for Tartan Day

{{short description|Celebration of Scottish heritage}}
{{Redirect|Declaration Day}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Tartan Day
| image         = FM at tartan parade in NY-5.jpg
| caption       = [[First Minister of Scotland]], [[John Swinney]] (right), at the 2025 Tartan Day parade in [[New York City]], United States 
| observedby    = [[Scottish diaspora]]
| date          = * 6 April ([[Argentina]], [[Canada]], [[Scotland]], [[United States]])
* 1 July ([[Australia]], [[New Zealand]])
| celebrations  = Parades of [[pipe band]]s, [[Highland dance]], and other [[Scottish culture|Scottish-themed]] events.
| observances   = 
| relatedto     = 
| frequency     = Annual
| type          = 
| duration      = 
| firsttime     = 1987
| startedby     = [[Scottish Canadians]]
}}
'''Tartan Day''' is a celebration of [[Culture of Scotland|Scottish heritage]] and the cultural contributions of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] and [[Scottish diaspora|Scottish-diaspora]] figures of history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bellassai |first=John King |title=The True Meaning of Tartan Day |date=April 3, 2020 |publisher=Council of Scottish Clans & Associations / National Capital Tartan Day Committee |via=National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA |url= https://ntsusa.org/true-meaning-of-tartan-day/ |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> The name refers to [[tartan]], a patterned woollen cloth associated with Scotland. The event originated in [[Nova Scotia]], Canada, in 1987. It spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora, such as [[Australia]], the [[United States]] and [[New Zealand]], and to Scotland itself, in the 1990s to 2000s. Tartan Day is held on April 6, the date on which the [[Declaration of Arbroath]] was signed in 1320. It is celebrated in Canada (since 1987, officially and nationally since 2010), the United States (since 1997, with increasing recognition in 1998, 2005, and 2008 as National Tartan Day), and Argentina (unofficially from 2006). 

The same date is used for locally official Tartan Days in [[Aberdeen]] and [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]], Scotland (from 2004). In the former, it has since shifted into the charity fundraiser KiltWalk, now running in four Scottish cities. In the latter, home to the town of [[Arbroath]], the day is increasingly renamed '''Declaration Day''', since 2016, and associated with events commemorating the Declaration of Arbroath and other aspects of Scottish history.

International Tartan Day is held in various states of Australia (from 1989, with varying levels of official recognition) and in New Zealand (unofficially since 2008) on July 1, the anniversary of the 1782 repeal of the [[Dress Act 1746]], which had banned the male wearing of [[Highland dress]] in much of Scotland. Related unofficial events in France (since 2002) have been held on varying days of the year, often also celebrating [[Culture of Brittany|Breton culture]]. 

Tartan Day has expanded into an entire '''Tartan Week''' in [[New York City]] and Angus, and into multi-day events in some other locations, including Washington, DC. The name '''Scotland Week''' has also been promoted in Scotland. The events typically have parades of [[pipe band]]s, [[Highland dance|Highland dancing]], and other Scottish-themed activities.

==Origins==
On March 9, 1986, a "Tartan Day" to promote Scottish heritage in Canada was proposed at a meeting of the Federation of [[Scottish clan|Scottish Clans]] in Nova Scotia (the name of which is [[Latin]] for 'New Scotland'); the first event was held April 6, 1987.<ref>{{cite web |title=Events – Tartan Day in Canada (6 April) |publisher=Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia |date=2007 |url= http://www.scotsns.ca/events/tartan-day.asp |access-date=May 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090504011923/http://www.scotsns.ca/events/tartan-day.asp |archive-date=May 4, 2009 |ref={{sfnref|SFCNS|2007}} }}</ref> After a period of adoption by [[provinces and territories of Canada]], a National Tartan Day of April 6 was declared in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Glover |first1=Shelly |author1-link=Shelly Glover |last2=Monnin |first2=Marisa |title=Statement by Minister Glover on National Tartan Day |date=April 6, 2015 |url= https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2015/04/statement-minister-glover-national-tartan-day.html}}</ref>

In Australia, wearing tartan on July 1 has been encouraged since 1989. The day has been promoted as International Tartan Day in Australia since 1996<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarke |first=Suzanna |title=The Pipes Are Calling |work=[[The Courier–Mail]] |date=July 2, 2005 |page=60}}</ref> and has been formally recognized by some states,{{citation needed|date=April 2019}} but not at a national level.

The first (unofficial) national-level Tartan Day in the US was observed an April 6, 1997, growing from county- and state-level observance inspired by Canadian events.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=History of National Tartan Day |date=2023 |work=NationalCapitalTartanDay.com |publisher=National Capital Tartan Day Committee |url= http://www.nationalcapitaltartanday.com/history-of-tartan-day/|access-date=July 31, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|NCTD|2023}} }}</ref> The holiday was approved by the US Senate in 1998,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Tartan Day |work=Congressional Record – Senate |at=p. S2373 |date=March 20, 1998 |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |via=[[Library of Congress]] |url= http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=1998_record&page=S2373&position=all |url-status=unfit<!--Usually times out.--> |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220108211059/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-1998-03-20/pdf/CREC-1998-03-20-pt1-PgS2373-3.pdf#page=1 |archive-date=January 8, 2022 |access-date=July 31, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|US Senate|1998}} }}</ref> the House of Representatives in 2005,<ref>{{cite web |title=H. Res. 41 |work=Congressional Record – House |at=pp. H1029–31 |date=March 9, 2005 |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives]] |via=[[Library of Congress]] |url= http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2005_record&page=H1029&position=all |url-status=unfit<!--Usually times out.--> |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211020062546/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2005-03-09/pdf/CREC-2005-03-09-pt1-PgH1029-4.pdf#page=1 |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |access-date=July 31, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|US House|2005}} }} In addition to the two chief sponsors, H.Res.41 had 54 co-sponsors, including Rep. [[Candice Miller]] of [[Michigan]], Rep. [[Danny K. Davis]] of [[Illinois]], and Rep. [[Alcee Hastings]] of [[Florida]], who all addressed the House in favor of the resolution.</ref> and the President in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bush |first=George W. |author-link=George W. Bush |title=National Tartan Day, 2008: A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America |date=April 4, 2008 |work=GeorgeWBush-WhiteHouse.Archives.gov |publisher=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]] |via=[[US National Archives and Records Administration]] |url= https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080404-9.html |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref><!--Note ''The Scotsman'' article of 29 March 2012 incorrectly gave the date of this as 6 April 1998, when Bill Clinton was in office; this is obviously an error.-->

Similar events in other countries appear to have been inspired by those in Canada, Australia, and the US, and date from the 2000s or later.

== Participating countries ==
=== Argentina ===
[[File:Tartan day parade - Buenos Aires, 2008 - 51.jpg|thumb|right|Tartan Day parade in [[Buenos Aires]], 2018]]

[[Argentina]] has around [[Scottish Argentines|100,000 people of Scottish descent]], the largest such community outside the English-speaking world. The Tartan Day parade of Scottish {{lang|es|porteños}} was inaugurated in [[Buenos Aires]] on 6 April 2006 and is organized by the Scottish Argentine Society every year.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Gilchrist |title=Stories of Homecoming: We're on the march with Argentina's Scots |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=December 15, 2008 |page=18 |url= https://www.scotsman.com/news/stories-of-homecoming-were-on-the-march-with-argentinas-scots-2477573 |access-date=31 July 2023}}</ref> A symbolic key to the gate of Arbroath's Abbey is carried to mark the date in 1320 that inspired this celebration.<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Shields |title=We hold the reason for this holiday to be self-evident |work=[[Sunday Herald]] |date=March 20, 2008 |page=36}}</ref>

=== Australia and New Zealand ===
Three million Australians are either Scottish or of Scottish descent. International Tartan Day in Australia is celebrated on a regional basis in most states on 1 July (or by some community organizations on the nearest Sunday), the anniversary of the Repeal Proclamation of 1782 annulling the [[Act of Proscription 1746]] and its Dress Act, which had made wearing Highland dress (by males) an offense in the Highlands,<ref>{{cite web |last=Eslea MacDonald |first=Peter |title=Act of Proscription 1746: The Tartan Ban – Fact or Myth? |work=ScottishTartans.co.uk |date=March 2021 |url= http://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/Act_of_Proscription_1746_-_The_Tartan_Ban_-_Fact_or_Myth.pdf}}</ref> punishable by up to seven years' [[penal transportation]].<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Celeste |editor-last=Ray |title=Transatlantic Scots |location=Tuscaloosa |publisher=[[University of Alabama Press]] |date=2005 |at=p. 17, note 19 |ref=Ray2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jodie |last=Munro O'Brien |title=Tastes of tartan on the Coast |work=Gold Coast Sun |date=June 28, 2006 |page=1}}</ref> According to Scottish House secretary Moyna Scotland, the tendency to disguise Scottish associations was mirrored in Australia: "Scots did what they were told to do when they came to Australia, assimilate and integrate, and they almost disappeared"; consequently, one aim of Tartan Day is to help Australians reconnect with their Scottish ancestry.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scottish pride is in for a bonny time |work=Hornsby and Upper North Shore Advocate |page=1}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=July 2023|reason=Date is missing.}} A tartan revival started in Scotland in 1822, and now many of the Australian states, and the Commonwealth of Australia itself, have their own tartans.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Coastal Scots get into kilts |work=Gold Coast Bulletin |date=June 27, 2002 |page=23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tartan Details - South Australia |work=TartanRegister.gov.uk |publisher=[[Scottish Register of Tartans]] |url= http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=3841 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The House of Tartan – Suppliers of the Australian Tartans |website=TartanHouse.com.au |url=http://www.tartanhouse.com.au/australian.html |access-date=May 6, 2014 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313055014/http://www.tartanhouse.com.au/australian.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1989, the Scottish Australian Heritage Council began to encourage Australians to wear tartan on July 1,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Regular Shorts |work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=June 30, 1989 |at=p. 1, col. 8}}</ref> when more than half a million Australians gather for a celebration of Scottish heritage,<ref>{{cite press release |last=Gambaro |first=Teresa |title=Media Release: The Hon. Teresa Gambaro MP, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Citizenship |date=June 30, 2007 |via=AAP MediaNet Press Releases}}</ref> combining nostalgia with Australian citizenship ceremonies,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scottish celebration |work=Southern News |date=June 30, 2005 |page=22}}</ref> and fund-raising for charitable causes such as drought assistance.{{sfnp|Clarke|2005}} Australians without a family tartan are invited to wear the [[royal Stewart tartan]] or the military tartan of the [[Black Watch]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Kilmeny |last=Adie |title=Celebrating a Highland heritage |work=Illawarra Mercury |date=July 1, 2004 |page=9}}</ref> Tartan articles worn on the day include hats, ties, and socks.<ref>{{cite news |first=Catriona |last=Mathewson |title=Scots all tartaned up for big day |work=The Courier–Mail |date=June 28, 2004 |page=6}}</ref> There are many pipe band associations in both Australia and New Zealand, some originating in disbanded [[Second World War]] army battalions,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Things to do this weekend |work=Daily News |location=Warwick, Queensland |date=July 11, 2008 |page=4}}</ref> and almost 30 heritage events in Australia alone.<ref>[[#Ray2005|Ray (2005)]], p. 88, note 53.</ref> Some clans, notably the McLeods of [[South Australia]], come together in private events to honor their chief, recite [[Robert Burns]], consume [[haggis]], and take part in Highland dancing.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jenny |last=Hullick |title=McLeod's daughters, and sons, form local clan |work=News Review Messenger |date=September 19, 2001 |page=14}}</ref> A butcher in [[Maclean, New South Wales]], "the Scottish town in Australia", reportedly celebrates the day by selling haggisburgers.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=News and Features |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=July 1, 1993 |page=1}}</ref>

Since 2001, the Scottish Australian Heritage Council and Australian branch of the [[Scottish National Party]] have petitioned the [[Government of Australia]] in the capital, [[Canberra]], for federal recognition of International Tartan Day to celebrate the Scottish contribution to Australian history,<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Ex-pats Demand Day Down Under |work=[[Daily Express]] |location=London |date=February 19, 2001 |page=1}}</ref> including the influence of Scottish radicalism on the trade-union movement and the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]], and Australia's allegedly "egalitarian and meritocratic" society.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=McTerman |title=Why the true patriots do not wear plaid |work=[[Scotland on Sunday]] |date=April 7, 2002 |pages=18}}</ref> In 2008, Scottish culture minister [[Linda Fabiani]] floated a proposal to expand the Australian event into an official Scotland Week as part of the Scottish government's international business strategy.<ref>{{cite news |first=Marc |last=Horne |title=No flies on Alex as Tartan Week goes walkabout |work=[[Scotland on Sunday]] |date=March 30, 2008 |page=3}}</ref>

With high [[Scottish New Zealanders|Scottish ancestry]], New Zealand unofficially celebrates International Tartan Day on 1 July each year, since 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title=National Tartan Day |url= http://www.channel39.co.nz/news/national-tartan-day |access-date=April 9, 2023 |work=Channel 39 Southern Television |date=July 1, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Check out tartan festival |url= https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/check-out-tartan-festival/KMQ7EF325FDPLGI7DKC4ECMCFI/ |access-date=April 9, 2023 |work=Northern Advocate |agency=New Zealand Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tartan day |url= https://www.clanmatheson.org.nz/clan-matheson/tartan-day/ |website=Clan Matheson New Zealand |access-date=April 9, 2023}}</ref>

=== Canada ===
About 15.1% or 4.7&nbsp;million Canadians claim [[Scottish Canadian|Scottish descent]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories – 20% sample data |publisher=Statistics Canada |url= http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080603141336/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=PR&Code=01&Table=2&Data=Count&StartRec=1&Sort=3&Display=All |archive-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref>
Tartan Day ({{langx|fr|Journée du Tartan}}) in Canada, first held in [[Nova Scotia]] in 1987, originated with a proposal by Bill Crowell and Jean MacKeracher-Watson at a meeting of the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia on March 9, 1986.{{sfnref|SFCNS|2007}}

MacKeracher-Watson, president of the [[Clan Lamont]] Society of Canada, petitioned [[Provinces of Canada|provincial]] legislatures to recognize April 6 as Tartan Day.{{sfnref|SFCNS|2007}} The first such proclamation was by Nova Scotia in April 1987. On December 19, 1991, in response to action initiated by the Clans & Scottish Societies of Canada, the Ontario Legislature passed a resolution proclaiming 6 April as Tartan Day, following the example of some other Canadian provinces.<ref>{{cite hansard |jurisdiction=Province of Ontario |house=Legislative Assembly of Ontario |url= https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/house-documents/parliament-35/session-1/1991-12-19/hansard |title=Tartan Day |date=December 19, 1991 |column=1100}}</ref> Tartan Day has since been proclaimed by all the provincial legislatures. In 2007, [[Peter Stoffer]] introduced a [[private member's bill]] for "An Act respecting a Tartan Day". Progress of the bill was interrupted by the [[2008 Canadian federal election|2008 election]]; resubmitted after the election, it was unsuccessful.<ref>{{Cite web |title=C-214 An Act respecting a Tartan Day |publisher=Library of Parliament |date=May 14, 2009 |access-date=May 15, 2009 |url= http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&query=5578&List=toc |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090605084553/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E |archive-date=June 5, 2009}} The Canadian bill got its first reading as C-402 of the 39th Parliament on 16 October 2007, and was reintroduced as C-218 of the 40th Parliament on 21 November 2008.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=C-214 An Act respecting a Tartan Day |website=LegisInfo |url=https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/40-2/c-214 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405162343/https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/en/bill/40-2/c-214 |archive-date=April 5, 2022 |access-date=April 5, 2022 }}</ref>

Canada declared National Tartan Day in October 2010,{{sfnp|Glover|Monnin|2015}} the first official national event being held in 2011. In the national capital, [[Ottawa]], Ontario, an annual Gathering of the Clans takes place each year, usually on April 6 or the Sunday nearest to it, on Parliament Hill at noon with pipes, drums, and dancing hosted by the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band, Canada's oldest civilian pipe band.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band |website=SoSPB.com |url=http://www.sospb.com/}}</ref> The 2023 celebrations were on April 23, and were the 15th year that the pipe band has hosted the event. Canada's official tartan, the [[Regional_tartans_of_Canada#Maple_Leaf_tartan|Maple Leaf tartan]], was designed in 1964<ref>{{cite web |title=Tartan Details - Maple Leaf |work=TartanRegister.gov.uk |publisher=Scottish Register of Tartans |url= https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=2824 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> and became an official national symbol in March 2011 ahead of Tartan Day.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Maple Leaf Tartan becomes official symbol |date=March 9, 2011 |work=[[Toronto Star]] |url= https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/951077--maple-lead-tartan-becomes-official-symbol |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130930024239/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/03/09/maple_leaf_tartan_becomes_official_symbol.html <!--Picked one in which the images still work.--> |archive-date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref>

In 2015, [[Minister of Canadian Heritage]] [[Shelly Glover]] issued a statement in support of National Tartan Day and the Maple Leaf tartan, and tied the event to celebration that year of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the first [[prime minister of Canada]], Sir [[John A. Macdonald]] (born in Scotland), and the 50th anniversary of the current [[flag of Canada]], among other events. Glover wrote of "the contributions of the Scots and their descendants to the social fabric of our country" and "the historical links between Scotland and Canada".{{sfnp|Glover|Monnin|2015}}

=== France ===
Starting in 2002, the France Celtic Tartan Day ({{lang|fr|Jour du tartan celtique en France}} or "Le Tartan Day"), also called Day of the [[Kilt]] ({{lang|fr|Journée du kilt}}) and Festival of Scotland and the Kilt ({{lang|fr|Fête de l’Ecosse et du kilt}}), was held in France.<ref>{{cite web |title=France Celtic Tartan Day |date=2002 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20030603193501/http://tartanday.free.fr/ |archive-date=June 3, 2003 |access-date=July 23, 2023}} Even this archive URL is nearly useless, because most of the site content was embedded in Adobe Flash files, but it at least proves organization of the event to a 2002 date.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=France Celtic Tartan Day |date=2004 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/en/Accueil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040606232625/http://tartanday.free.fr/en/Accueil.htm |archive-date=June 6, 2004 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Journée du Kilt |date=2004 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |language=fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061130100829/http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |archive-date=November 30, 2006 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> Originally founded by Richard and Marie Laure, the event developed into a collaboration between L’Équipe du France Celtic Tartan Day<!--Yes, the organisation's official name is in "Franglais".--> (a not-for-profit organization formed for the purpose by its president Jean-François Rebiffé) and Jeux Ecossais de Luzarches (the [[Highland games]] association in [[Luzarches]]). The locations have varied by year, and have sometimes been spread over three days instead of a single Tartan Day; e.g., the 7th annual event of 2009 was organized for the "sister" cities of [[Eu, Seine-Maritime|Eu]], [[Mers-les-Bains]], and [[Le Tréport]] on the borders of [[Normandy]] and [[Picardy]]; the 2007 edition also included [[Criel-sur-Mer]]. Events included a beachfront parade, musical concerts, piping competitions, Highland games, kilt fashion show, and a Franco-Scottish economic roundtable. Organizers claimed attendance from [[Brittany]], Normandy and elsewhere in France, Scotland, [[Ireland]], [[Wales]], and the [[Isle of Man]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Edito du Président |date=2008 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |language=fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081112233016/http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |archive-date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Edito du Président |date=2014 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |language=fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140403102916/http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |archive-date=April 3, 2014 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Programme |date=2007 |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |language=fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/Programme.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070112182343/http://tartanday.free.fr/Programme.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2007 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Le Mot du Président |date=2006 |language=fr |work=TartanDay.Free.fr |url= http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061130100829/http://tartanday.free.fr/Accueil.htm |archive-date=November 30, 2006 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> This particular series of Tartan Day events appears to have ended in 2009.

Tartan day has also been celebrated in [[Paris]] for several years, organized by the Kilt Society de France<!--Yes, the organisation's official name is in "Franglais".-->. A one-off event was held in [[Paimpont forest|Brocéliande (Paimpont) forest]] before 2015. Starting in 2015, there had also been an annual event in Brittany, called {{lang|br|Breizh Tartan Deizh}} ('Breton Tartan Day' in the [[Breton language]]); this event was organized by an association named Hentou Breizh ('Breton Paths') along with l’Association Château Essor Blinois. Held at the castle [[Château de la Groulais]] in [[Blain, Loire-Atlantique|Blain]] (though not always on April 6), it featured a parade through that city, music and dancing, and a crafts fair. The event celebrated [[Culture of Brittany|Breton culture]] as well as Scottish, and the links between the two [[Celtic nations]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://www.iloveenglish.com/parents/question-mois/celebre-tartan-day |title=Que célèbre le Tartan Day? |language=fr |date=2020 |magazine=I Love English |publisher=[[Bayard Presse]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Kilts, chants celtes: C'est le jour du tartan! |language=fr |date=June 14, 2017 |work=[[Ouest-France]] |url= https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/blain-44130/kilts-chants-celtes-c-est-le-jour-du-tartan-5060623 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> Richard Duclos, designer of the first Breton national tartan, originated both the Paris and Brittany events.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rossin |first=Cécile |title=Danse et musique bretonnes avec le Breizh tartan deiz |date=June 17, 2017 |work=L'Éclaireur |via=Actu.fr |url= https://actu.fr/pays-de-la-loire/blain_44015/danse-et-musique-bretonnes-avec-le-breizh-tartan-deiz_8852601.html |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref> The Breton event seems to have last been held in 2018, and to have been subsumed into a broader '''Festival Celtique''' in [[Plessé]] (along with another Festival Celtique in [[Gévaudan]]), and a Breton and Celtic event named '''Festiv'Arz''' in [[Arzal]].

=== Scotland ===
[[File:ConneryKilt.jpg|thumb|right|Scottish actor, Sir [[Sean Connery]], with members of the [[Air Force Reserve Command|USAF Reserve]] Pipes and Drums, at the 2004 Tartan Day celebrations in [[Washington, DC]]. Connery wore a kilt made with the [[Tartan#Tartans for specific purposes|hunting tartan]] of his mother's [[Clan Maclean]].]]

[[Angus, Scotland|Angus]], a region that includes [[Arbroath]], established the first Tartan Day festival in Scotland on April 6, 2004, and has since joined other regional councils in attempting to develop its potential as a global celebration.<ref>{{cite news |first=Frank |last=Urquhart |title=Arbroath declares itself the centre of Scots Tartan Day |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=January 18, 2006 |page=23}}</ref> The Angus event, like that in New York, has developed into a full Tartan Week, and has included activities such as exhibitions of local arts and crafts, a farmer's market, local food vendors and formal dinners, a gathering of [[Scottish clan|clans]], a golf tournament, archery competition, literary and storytelling events, medieval reenactments, traditional piping and other music, dance (competitive and participatory), regional history exhibitions and presentations, and craft workshops.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brancaz |first=Lauren Ann-Killian |title=The Homecoming of Tartan: How Scotland and North America Collaborate in Shaping Tartan |date=2016 |journal=Études écossaises |issue=18 |doi=10.4000/etudesecossaises.1074 |url= https://journals.openedition.org/etudesecossaises/1074?lang=en |at=pp. 69–87, para. 32|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

From 2004 through 2013, the city of [[Aberdeen]] also organized a Tartan Day, though in 2016 it changed into a charity [[walkathon]] fundraiser named the [[Kilt]]<nowiki />walk (run by a registered charitable organization), which has since spread to [[Edinburgh]], [[Glasgow]], and [[Dundee]] in Scotland (held at different dates throughout the year so as not to conflict), and, for a one-off event, to New York City in the US.{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 33}}<ref>{{cite web |title=2023 Events |date=2023 |work=TheKiltwalk.co.uk |url= https://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk/events |access-date=July 25, 2023}}</ref>

Since 2017, the Scottish Government's official Scotland.org and VisitScotland.org portal sites have sometimes re-branded Tartan Day/Week as "Scotland Week" for marketing the events to native Scots,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tartan Week |date=2022 |work=Scotland.org |publisher=[[Scottish Government]] |url= https://www.scotland.org/events/scotland-week |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221129080952/https://www.scotland.org/events/scotland-week |archive-date=November 29, 2022 |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tartan Week 2024 |website=VisitScotland.org |date=2024-04-12 |url= https://www.visitscotland.org/news/2024/tartan-week-2024 |access-date=7 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|VS|2024}} }} Uses "Tartan Day", "Tartan Week", and "Scotland Week" in the same piece.</ref> though "Tartan Day/Week" has also remained in use in such materials.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tartan Day |date=2023 |work=Scotland.org |publisher=[[Scottish Government]] |url= https://www.scotland.org/events/tartan-day |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230331223956/https://www.scotland.org/events/tartan-day |archive-date=March 31, 2023 <!--May need a specifically 2023 snapshot of this later.--> |access-date=July 31, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|Scotland.org|2023}} }}</ref>{{sfnp|VS|2024}}

Since 2016, the 6 April date has increasingly been promoted instead as Declaration Day, since the Declaration of Arbroath is seen as having more national and historical significance than tartans (primarily associated with the Scottish Highlands), and 2020 marked the 700th anniversary of the declaration. In 2016, the town of Arbroath, the [[Angus Council]], the [[VisitScotland]] tourism board, and [[Historic Environment Scotland]] formed the body Arbroath 2020, in association with the Friends of Arbroath Abbey organisation, for the construction of a Declaration Square in front of [[Arbroath Abbey]] for the anniversary; Arbroath 2020's chairman Norman Atkinson<!--NOT the one we have an article about.--> appears to have coined the name "Declaration Day" in 2016, as an explicit "rebrand" of the date.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Declaration of Arbroath anniversary celebrations revealed |work=[[STV News]] |date=8 April 2016 |url= https://archive.news.stv.tv/archive/1349280-declaration-day-hopes-for-700th-arbroath-anniversary.html |access-date=7 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|STV|2016}} }}</ref> The 2020 anniversary event proceeded,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Declaration Day anniversary |website=ScotHomeEd.co.uk |publisher=Scottish Home Education Forum |date=6 April 2020 |url= https://scothomeed.co.uk/declaration-day-anniversary |ref={{sfnref|SHEF|2020}} |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref> but had to be scaled back from the original plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Graham |title=Declaration Day return will bring parade from Arbroath Abbey 705 years on |website=[[The Courier (Dundee)|The Courier]] |date=26 March 2025 |url= https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/5209143/arbroath-abbey-declaration-day-family-event/ |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref> The name continues to be used especially for events at Arbroath,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Celebrating Declaration Day at Arbroath Abbey |work=WeeWalkingTours.com |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Wee Walking Tours |date=6 April 2025 |url= https://www.weewalkingtours.com/post/arbroath-abbey |access-date=7 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|WWT|2025}} }}</ref> where the celebration has expanded beyond its original scope, and now includes a mile-long parade among other activities, promoted as "a non-political event&nbsp;... that blends history, culture, and community spirit".{{sfnp|Brown|2025}}<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Declaration Day |work=HappeningNext.com |date=6 April 2025 |url= https://happeningnext.com/event/declaration-day-eid3a0carbv8s |access-date=7 April 2025 |ref={{sfnref|HN|2025}} }}</ref>

=== United States ===
There are an estimated 25 million [[Scottish Americans|people in the US who are of Scottish descent]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census [homepage] |work=Census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |url= https://www.census.gov |access-date=April 5, 2019}}</ref>{{complete citation needed|date=July 2023|reason=A citation has to go to specific data, not just the bare existence of a website that might contain the data.}} Observing various Tartan Day activities in Canada and in the US at the state and county level, a March 8–10, 1996, meeting of Scottish-heritage organization leaders chaired by John H. Napier III, which included Duncan MacDonald of the Caledonian Foundation, and Neil Fraser of the Clans and Scottish Societies of Canada, among others, proposed nationalizing the idea in the US, to unanimous approval of the attendees. After promotional advertisements were placed in heritage and genealogy publications including ''The Highlander'', ''Scottish Life'', and ''Family Tree'', the first (unofficial) Tartan Day in the United States observed at the national level was on April 6, 1997.{{sfnp|NCTD|2023}} Wanting to make the holiday official, the Scottish Coalition USA (comprising the American-Scottish Foundation, the Association of Scottish Games and Festivals, the Council of Scottish Clans & Associations, Living Legacy of Scotland, the Scottish-American Military Society, and Scottish Heritage USA, and at that time also including the now-defunct [[Tartan Educational and Cultural Association]])<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The Scottish Coalition, USA |date=2022 |work=AmericanScottishFoundation.com |publisher=American-Scottish Foundation |url= https://americanscottishfoundation.com/tartanday/scottish_coalition.html |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref>{{sfnp|NCTD|2023}} held a second Sarasota meeting in 1997 to more formally establish a National Tartan Day.<ref>{{cite web |title=About |website=Tartan Day Washington D.C. |url= http://dctartanday.org/about/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221217185248/http://dctartanday.org/about/ |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |access-date=March 25, 2019}}</ref>

In 1998, the efforts of the coalition and the Caledonian Foundation (led then by JoAnne Phipps),{{sfnp|NCTD|2023}} with the legislative sponsorship of Senator [[Trent Lott]], resulted in [[United States Senate]] Resolution No. 155 (introduced March 6, 1998) to adopt April 6 as National Tartan Day. The resolution passed March 20, 1998,  "to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish Americans to the United States";{{sfnp|US Senate|1998}} it also referred to the predominance of Scots among the [[Founding Fathers of the United States]] and claimed that the [[United States Declaration of Independence|American Declaration of Independence]] was "modelled on" the Scottish [[Declaration of Arbroath]].{{sfnp|US Senate|1998}} The now quasi-official National Tartan Day was held annually thereafter; ''[[The Washington Times]]'' reported in 2000 on the event, by which time it was already growing into a three-day affair in [[Washington, DC]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2000/apr/5/20000405-011049-4772r/ |title=A Lott of reasons to honor Scots |date=April 5, 2000 |work=[[The Washington Times]] |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref>

This led in turn, through the advocacy of the National Capital Tartan Committee (led by James Morrison), to unanimous adoption of [[US House of Representatives]] Resolution 41 passing on March 9, 2005, in favor of a US National Tartan Day on April 6, and mirroring most of the wording of the Senate resolution. The House resolution's chief sponsors were Representative [[Mike McIntyre]] from [[North Carolina]] and Rep. [[Jimmy Duncan (politician)|Jimmy Duncan]] from [[Tennessee]], who were the founding co-chairs of the Friends of Scotland Caucus in the House.{{sfnp|US House|2005}} Finally, President [[George W. Bush]] signed a presidential proclamation on April 4, 2008, of a fully official US National Tartan Day observance on April 6 each year.{{sfnp|Bush|2008}}

The largest of the US events is New York City Tartan Week. Another major one is that held in Washington, DC, which includes a National Tartan Day [[Academic conference|Symposium]] featuring notable Scottish and Scottish-American speakers.{{sfnp|COSCA|2023}}

====New York City Tartan Week====
[[File:Tartan Army 2011 1185 AA jeh.jpg|thumb|right|Tartan Day parade in [[New York City]], 2011]]

1n 1999, the first Tartan Day parade in New York City consisted of just two [[Great Highland bagpipe|pipe]] bands and "a small but enthusiastic group of Scottish Americans", with American actor [[Cliff Robertson]] in the role of grand marshall.<ref>{{cite web |title=NYC Tartan Week & NYC Tartan Day Parade |date=2023 |work=NYCTartanWeek.org |publisher=National Tartan Day New York Committee |url= https://www.nyctartanweek.org/about-us/ |access-date=July 23, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|NYCTW|2023}} }}</ref> By 2002, the "Tunes of Glory" parade, organized by American piper Magnus Orr, Scottish piper (living in Canada) Thomas Grotrian, and the newly formed National Tartan Day New York Committee, included 8,250 pipers and drummers marching through the streets of New York, led by Scottish actor Sir [[Sean Connery]] and [[Mayor of New York City|New York City Mayor]] [[Michael Bloomberg]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bring yer pipes, drums and kilts! |date=2009 |work=TartanWeek.com |publisher=National Tartan Day New York Committee |url=http://www.tartanweek.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090227074617/http://www.tartanweek.com/ |archive-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref> Other organizers of the annual affair include the Saint Andrews Society of the State of New York, the New York Caledonian Club, and the American Scottish Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |title=NY Tartan Day |date=2004 |work=TartanWeek.com |publisher=National Tartan Day New York Committee |url= http://www.tartanweek.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040607113742/http://www.tartanweek.com/ |archive-date=June 7, 2004 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref>

The event has since grown into a Tartan Week beginning with Tartan Day (the parade is held on the week's Saturday). The grand marshall each year is usually a Scotland-native celebrity (actor [[Gail Porter]] in 2023), but has occasionally been a Scottish American. The parade includes pipe bands (typically around 3,000 bagpipers in total), and contingents from clan societies, Highland games organizers, Scottish-American societies, the New York Mounted Police, alumni clubs of Scottish universities, and Scotland's tourism board, [[VisitScotland]].  Activities and events other than the parade include literary, theatrical, and musical performances; receptions; art exhibits of Scottish and Scottish-American works; music concerts and pipe band competitions; {{lang|gd|cèilidh}}, [[Highland dance|Highland]], and [[Scottish country dance]]s; since 2004, the ''Scotland Run'', a [[10K run]] (sponsored by the Scottish Government with [[New York Road Runners]], and a pre-qualifying race for the [[New York City Marathon]]); displays of Scottish artifacts; exhibitions of [[:Category:Dog breeds originating in Scotland|Scottish dog breeds]]; and ''Dressed to Kilt'', a fashion show and charity ball organized by Friends of Scotland, featuring tartaned and kilted celebrities.{{sfnp|NYCTW|2023}}{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=paras. 23, 25}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Mackay |first=Thomas |title=Tartan Week 25th Anniversary: Which Scot will be in NYC and what tartan should you wear? |date=April 14, 2023 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url= https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/tartan-week-25th-anniversary-which-scot-will-be-in-nyc-and-what-tartan-should-you-wear-4103328 |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Dressed to Kilt Returns to NYC on Tartan Day |date=2019 |work=Fashion Week Online |url= https://fashionweekonline.com/dressed-to-kilt-returns-to-nyc-on-tartan-day |access-date=July 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scotland Run – Sunday 30 March |date=2008 |work=Scotland.org |publisher= |url= http://www.scotland.org/scotland-week/scotland-run/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080310233049/http://www.scotland.org/scotland-week/scotland-run/ |archive-date=March 10, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2023}}</ref>

The event has not been without some criticism. Susan McIntosh, a former president of the Council of Scottish Clans & Associations (based in North Carolina) said in 2015 that the event was too thinly attended and media-covered, given its potential, compared to other ethnic celebrations, and an "unfortunate mongrel of a commemoration" because the dates of the parade (on a Saturday nearest April 6 but rarely April 6 itself) are not meaningful to Scots, and because, she stated, the connection between the Declaration of Arbroath and the Declaration of Independence "is faint at best". McIntosh recommended starting over to create a new, [[grassroots]] and international, diaspora-driven holiday.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=New York's Tartan Day is 'unfortunate mongrel' |date=April 30, 2015 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url= https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/new-yorks-tartan-day-is-unfortunate-mongrel-1506181 |access-date=July 30, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|The Scotsman|2015}} }}</ref> ''[[The Scotsman]]'' also that year quoted an anonymous promoter in Edinburgh saying that Tartan Day "doesn't resonate with young Scots", including designers who will not attend the events because they don't find them "relevant". Alan Bain of the American Scottish Foundation, at Tartan Day organizer, disagreed because Scottish universities were sending parade contingents, indicating contemporary interest in Scotland.{{sfnp|The Scotsman|2015}}

==Scottish Government engagement in diasporic events==
{{see|International relations of Scotland}}
===Government involvement===
[[File:Scotland Week - First Minister meets Daktari Diagnostics (8619980326).jpg|thumb|left|[[First Minister of Scotland]], [[Alex Salmond]], during engagements in the United States during Scotland Week engagements in 2013]]

The [[Scottish Government]], along with regional local governments including the city councils of [[City of Edinburgh Council|Edinburgh]], [[Glasgow City Council|Glasgow]], and [[Aberdeen City Council|Aberdeen]], as well as industry organisations, have capitalised on opportunities to promote Scottish tourism and business interests by directly participating in Tartan Day/Week activities among the disaspora, especially in the United States, since the 2000s.{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 27}} The US is Scotland's top destination for exports, which {{as of|2019|lc=y}} amounted to [[Pound sterling|£]]6&nbsp;billion, 17% of Scotland's total international trade.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tartan Week highlights economic links between Scotland and the United States: Trade opportunities for Scottish firms 'Across the Pond' |date=April 8, 2022 |work=Scottish-Enterprise-MediaCentre.com |publisher=[[Scottish Enterprise]] |url= https://www.scottish-enterprise-mediacentre.com/news/tartan-week-highlights-economic-links-between-scotland-and-the-united-states |access-date=July 29, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|SEMC|2023}} }}</ref>

Scottish officials have participated in Tartan Day activities, e.g. as grand marshals of the New York parade, including [[Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament|presiding officers of Scottish Parliament]] ([[George Reid (Scottish politician)|George Reid]] in 2007, [[Alex Fergusson (politician)|Alex Fergusson]] in 2010, and [[Tricia Marwick]] in 2015), and [[List of provosts of Glasgow|Lord Provost of Glasgow]] [[Bob Winter]] in 2011.{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 27}} The [[Scottish Parliament]] sent a delegation to the 2023 New York event, including {{abbr|MSPs|Members of Scottish Parliament}} [[Alison Johnstone]] (the presiding officer), [[Finlay Carson]], and [[Collette Stevenson]], who also visited the [[Canadian Parliament]] in [[Ottawa]] and the [[National Assembly of Québec]].<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scottish Parliament returns to Tartan Week for its 25th Anniversary |date=April 13, 2023 |work=Parliament.scot |publisher=[[Scottish Parliament]] |url= https://www.parliament.scot/about/news/news-listing/scottish-parliament-returns-to-tartan-week |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> [[First Minister of Scotland|Scottish First Minister]] [[Jack McConnell]] attended the New York event in 2002 "to make sure that Scotland is promoted at the highest level during a time when the world will be watching."<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/1909566.stm |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=McConnell to join Tartan Day |date=April 4, 2002 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> Also in New York, First Min. [[Alex Salmond]] in 2013 cross-promoted events in Scotland, especially the year-long Homecoming Scotland 2014, a followup to the [[Homecoming Scotland 2009|2009 event series]].{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=paras. 29–30}} Former First Min. [[Henry McLeish]] gave a Scotland post-[[Brexit]] presentation at Tartan Day in [[Washington, DC]], in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The National Capital Tartan Day Committee Presents Scotland and Britain – Post Brexit: A Presentation with Q & A Presented by Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish |work=AmericanScottishFoundation.com |date=2021 |url= https://americanscottishfoundation.com/programs/?p=692 |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> [[Angus Robertson]], the [[Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture|Scottish culture secretary]], attended 2022 Tartan Day in Ontario, Canada, and Tartan Week in New York and Washington, DC, in the US, meeting also with political bodies, business leaders, and cultural organizations, with a goal of bolstering "cultural, historical, educational and economic links between Scotland, Canada and the United States".<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/scottish-politics/3173945/tartan-day-trip-important-cultural-visit-or-freebie-at-taxpayer-expense/ |last=Amery |first=Rachel |title=Tartan day trip: Culture and spending under the spotlight in celebration of Scotland |date=April 6, 2022 |work=[[The Courier (Dundee)|The Courier]] |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> Robertson wrote April 2023 editorials in ''[[The Scotsman]]'' and the ''[[Edinburgh Evening News]]'' on Tartan Day abroad leading to job creation in Scotland, and called the holiday "an opportunity to promote enduring connections with Scotland, including trade, investment, tourism and culture" and "a platform&nbsp;... to promote Scotland in some of our most important markets".<ref>{{cite web |last=Robertson |first=Angus |author-link=Angus Robertson |title=Tartan Day parade: Definition of the 'Scottish diaspora' is broad and welcoming as Scotland seeks to win new friends |date=April 14, 2023 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url= https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/tartan-day-parade-definition-of-the-scottish-diaspora-is-broad-and-welcoming-as-scotland-seeks-to-win-new-friends-angus-robertson-4102688 |access-date=July 29, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|Robertson|2023a}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Robertson |first=Angus |author-link=Angus Robertson |title=Tartan Day in the United States, Canada, Australia and beyond is creating jobs in Scotland |date=April 4, 2023 |work=[[Edinburgh Evening News]] |url= https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/tartan-day-in-the-united-states-canada-australia-and-beyond-is-creating-jobs-in-scotland-angus-robertson-4090062 |access-date=July 29, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|Robertson|2023b}} }}</ref> The 2023 National Tartan Day Symposium in Washington, DC, included a presentation from Chris Thomson, head of the Scottish Government USA [[Consul (representative)|consular]] team.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Tartan Day Events |date=2023 |work=COSCA.net |publisher=Council of Scottish Clans & Associations |url= https://www.cosca.scot/tartan-day |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230424182823/https://www.cosca.scot/tartan-day |archive-date=April 24, 2023 |access-date=July 30, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|COSCA|2023}} }}<!--This page will change soon, and have next year's information on it; this link is to the archived version on purpose.--></ref> The [[UK Government]]'s [[parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland]], [[John Lamont]], also attended the New York Tartan Day events of 2023, including a roundtable organized by the UK [[Department for Business and Trade]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Lamont |first=John |author-link=John Lamont |author2=Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland |author2-link=Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland |author3=Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office |author3-link=Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office |title=UK Government to celebrate Tartan Week in New York City |date=April 13, 2023 |work=Gov.uk |publisher=[[Government of the United Kingdom]] |url= https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-to-celebrate-tartan-week-in-new-york-city |access-date=July 30, 2023 |ref={{sfnref|Lamont|2023}} }}</ref>

===Promotion of Scottish culture===

The Scottish Government has promoted Scottish culture and talent at foreign Tartan Days/Weeks, including the [[National Theatre of Scotland]], the [[National Trust for Scotland]], the [[National Galleries Scotland]], and Scottish universities.<{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 26}} The government has also sponsored the annual 10K Scotland Run (with a trip to Edinburgh as the prize) during Tartan Week in New York City since 2004.{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=paras. 23, 26}} In 2005, the government lent the [[Wallace Sword]]&nbsp;– an artifact purported to have been wielded by Scottish hero [[William Wallace]] in the 13th to early 14th centuries&nbsp;– for Tartan Week display at [[Grand Central Terminal]] in New York City. The sword had never before left Scotland in modern times.{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 25}}  [[VisitScotland]], the Scottish tourism board, has a contingent in the annual New York Tartan Day parade,{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 23}} and also hosts side events sponsored by and featuring Scottish brands.{{sfnp|SEMC|2023}} Scotland.org, variously branded "Gateway to Scotland" and "Scotland Is Now", a tourism, study-abroad, and immigration website partnership between various departments of the government and industry associations, has publicized diasporic Tartan Day events, including 23 across the US,{{sfnp|Brancaz|2016|at=para. 26}} though the website no longer provides a detailed catalog of events {{as of|2023|lc=y|post=,}} and just has general information about Canadian Tartan Day and New York Tartan Week.{{sfnp|Scotland.org|2023}} 

===Business promotion===

[[File:FM Rockefeller Plaza 1.jpg|thumb|right|First Minister [[John Swinney]] at [[Rockefeller Plaza]] during Tartan Day business meetings, April 2025]] 

The Scotlish Government's involvement in Tartan Day/Week is connected with other governmental works, including GlobalScot (founded 2001), an international business network to help Scottish businesses and entrepreneurs with worldwide business connections;<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=About the network |date=2021 |work=GlobalScot.com |publisher=[[Scottish Development International]], [[Scottish Enterprise]] |url= https://www.globalscot.com/about-network |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> and Scottish Connections Framework,{{sfnp|Robertson|2023a}} (since 2023), a program for outreach to members of the diaspora who want "to live, work, study, visit, or do business in Scotland".<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scottish Connections Framework |date=April 11, 2023 |work=Gov.scot |publisher=[[Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture]], [[Scottish Government]] |url= https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-connections-framework/ |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> The Tartan Day/Week activities also interrelate with<ref>{{cite book |url= https://www.gov.scot/publications/literature-review-scottish-governments-scottish-connections-diaspora-work-2/pages/4/ |last1=Leith |first1=Murray Stewart |last2=Sim |first2=Duncan |title=Scottish Connections (diaspora) work: Qualitative research |date=October 7, 2022 |via=Gov.scot |publisher=University of the West of Scotland / [[Scottish Government]] External Affairs Directorate |isbn=9781804358900 |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> Scotland's ''US Engagement Strategy'' of 2017,<ref>{{cite report |url= https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-international-framework-engagement-strategy-9781786528698/ |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scotland's International Framework: US Engagement Strategy |date=March 30, 2017 |work=Gov.scot |publisher=[[Scottish Government]] External Affairs Directorate |isbn=9781786528698 |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> and a ''Diaspora Engagement Plan'' published in 2010 which includes other countries.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Diaspora Engagement Plan – Reaching out to Scotland's International Family |date=September 14, 2010 |website=Gov.scot |publisher=[[Scottish Government]] |url=https://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/09/14081131/1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325061611/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/09/14081131/1 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |via=National Records of Scotland |access-date=July 29, 2023 }}</ref>

Scottish businesses have integrated Tartan Day/Week into their marketing efforts, both online and at the events. A few examples include: the tartan weaver and women's clothier Prickly Thistle, of [[Evanton]] and Edinburgh;<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Scots firm Prickly Thistle gets ready to celebrate Tartan Day |date=April 5, 2016 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url= https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/scots-firm-prickly-thistle-gets-ready-to-celebrate-tartan-day-1479341 |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> the Gin Bothy distillery in [[Glamis]];{{sfnp|SEMC|2023}} [[Harris Tweed]] Textiles on the [[Isle of Lewis]];<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Leading the march for Harris Tweed |date=July 11, 2009 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url= https://www.scotsman.com/business/leading-the-march-for-harris-tweed-2461106 |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> the [[Johnnie Walker]] distillery ([[Kilmarnock]]&nbsp;/ London);{{sfnp|Lamont|2023}} [[Walker's Shortbread]] ([[Aberlour]]); the [[Salmon]] Scotland trade association (Edinburgh); and [[Scotch Whisky Association]] (Edinburgh).<ref>{{cite web |last=Warburton |first=Simon |title=Tartan Day Parade spotlights Scottish business power |date=April 6, 2022 |work=[[The Press and Journal]] |url= https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/business/4136048/tartan-day-parade-spotlights-scottish-business-power/ |access-date=July 30, 2023 }}<!--Source for all three Walker's, Salmon, SWA examples.--></ref> For 2022, the [[Stirling]]-based [[Forth Valley]] [[Chamber of Commerce]] alone sent 13 Scottish businesses to the New York parade, including Angels' Share Glass, Ardgowan Distillery, Ochil Fudge Pantry, and Quirky Chocolate.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Kenny |title=Scots Business Leaders Join Tartan Day Parade |date=April 19, 2022 |work=[[Scottish Field]] |url= https://www.scottishfield.co.uk/food-and-drink-2/whisky/scots-business-leaders-join-tartan-day-parade/ |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> Ian Houston, president of the trade association Scottish Business Network (SBN); John Bleed, US director of the [[Confederation of British Industry]]; and Peter Wilson, president of Great Scot International, a wholesale supplier of Scottish goods to US retailers, were all presenters at the Washington, DC, Tartan Day Sympoisum in 2023.{{sfnp|COSCA|2023}} SBN, Scottish Development International, and British–American Business Network have all been directly involved in Tartan Day activities in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Annual Tartan Day Celebration |date=2023 |work=BABN.org |publisher=British–American Business Network |url= https://babn.org/event/annual-tartan-day-celebration/ |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> SNB's "The New York Scottish Challenge" business seminar for Scottish entrepreneurs includes representation in the Tartan Day parade.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The New York Scottish Challenge |date=2023 |work=SBN.scot |publisher=Scottish Business Network |url= https://www.sbn.scot/new-york |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Kirkin' o' the Tartan]], a ceremony involving the blessing of family tartans

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180322213858/http://tartanday.org/ National Tartan Day USA]
*[http://americanscottishfoundation.com/tartanday/scottish_coalition.html The Scottish Coalition USA] 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090227074617/http://www.tartanweek.com/ New York Tartan Week Site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130716022512/http://www.tartandaydc.com/ National Capital Tartan Day Committee]
*[http://nyctartanweek.org/ National New York Tartan Day Committee] 
*[http://americanscottishfoundation.com/tartanDay/index.html American-Scottish Foundation]
*[http://www.minnesotascots.org/ Minnesota Tartan Day Cooperative Committee]
{{Traditional and public holidays in Scotland}}{{authority control}}

[[Category:Public holidays in Canada]]
[[Category:Public holidays in the United States]]
[[Category:Parades in North America]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1986]]
[[Category:April observances]]
[[Category:July observances]]
[[Category:Scottish-American history]]
[[Category:Scottish-American culture]]
[[Category:Scottish-Australian culture]]
[[Category:Scottish-Canadian culture]]
[[Category:Scottish-New Zealand culture]]
[[Category:Spring (season) in Canada]]