Latest news with #EdinburghTartanParade
Edinburgh Reporter
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh Tartan Parade 2025
It was a small group of six volunteers who made the Tartan Parade (dreamed up by Tania Pramschufer of Hand Up Events) become a reality. And they did a fabulous job. On Saturday some 1,600 people registered to take part in the inaugural Edinburgh Tartan Parade and marched through the city centre in bright sunshine This event is modelled on the New York City Tartan Day Parade held on or near Tartan Day (6 April) each year for the last quarter of a century. In New York the custom is to have a personality to lead the parade as Grand Marshal and on Friday night it was announced that Kyle Dawson the President of the National Tartan Day New York Committee would be the dignitary on the parade. The Rt Hon Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, and TV personality, Gail Porter also followed the High Constables of Edinburgh. From Shetland there were two Jarl Squads – sponsored by Northland Ferries who brought them across the sea to the mainland so that they could then make their way to Edinburgh to take part. The Shetlanders are also stalwarts of the New York parade. We have hundreds of photos to process as well as video (it will take ages!), but for now here are some photos… The names of all those taking part in the first Edinburgh Tartan Parade were: ● The Rt. Hon. Lord Provost and Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh & six High Constables, Kyle Dawson President of The National Tartan Day New York Committee, Gail Porter Fair Trade Ambassador ● Tartan Parade Scotland Organising Team ● Tartan Parade Scotland Friends & Family ● Pulse of the Place ● World Fair Trade Tartan ● The City of Edinburgh Council Depute Lord Provost, Council Leader, The Bailies, Political Group Representatives, City Officers & Edinburgh Captain and Lass ● Edinburgh Police Division Senior Management Team ● The Court of the Lord Lyon ● The Heraldry Society of Scotland ● James Gillespie's High School Pipe Band ● LNER ● Belhaven Brewery ● ScotlandShop ● The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs ● Denny High School Dance Academy The second group taking part in the parade comprised: Group 1 Section 2 The Royal Mile (High Street) ● Clan McKay Drummers ● Clan Mackay Society of Scotland ● Color Guard of the St. Andrew's Society of Washington D.C. ● Caithness Youth Pipe Band ● Clan Italia ● Lindsay School of Dancing ● Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland ● New York Caledonian Club ● Balerno & District Schools Pipe Band ● International Tartans ● The American-Scottish Foundation ● National Records of Scotland ● Clan MacLennan Scotland Association ● Accrington Pipe Band ● Nesting Jarl Squad Group 2 Section 1 St Giles Street ● Display Team of Champion Drum Majors: THE FORCE (Group 1) ● Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Scotland ● Hawick Scout Pipe Band ● The Society of William Wallace ● Cheryl Heggie School of Dance ● Samaritans Scotland ● Pentland Caledonia Pipe Band ● Witches of Scotland ● Still Rollin' – A Bay City Rollers Fan Community ● Gleadhraich ● Bay City Rollers Fan Community Group 2 Section 2 St Giles Street ● Scouts Scotland Pipe Band ● Sarah Hendry School of Dance ● Autism Acceptance Tartan ● Association of Hackney Carriage Drivers ● Stockbridge Pipe Band Edinburgh ● Clan Lamont Society ● College of Master Kilt Tailors ● Banff Castle Pipe Band ● Promotional Warehouse ● Lochcarron ● Brenda Ronnie School of Highland Dance ● SAPD Pipe Band ● Grassmarket Tartans ● Discovery Dance ● 21st Century Kilts ● Eagle Pipers Society Group 3 Section 1 West Parliament Square ● Display Team of Champion Drum ● Scottish Arts Club ● Burntisland & District Pipe Band ● Individual Parade Participants ● Individual Parade Musicians led by Pipe Major Bob Orridge ● History Matters Ltd Group 3 Section 2 West Parliament Square ● Scotpipe ● Fair City Baton Twirlers ● Armstrong ● Pidfiguny Family ● Dunfermline District (RBLS) Pipe Band With guests from East Riding Pipe Band ● Crofthead Farm Community Centre ● Universal fans of the Bay City Rollers ● Moodiesburn and District Pipe Band ● Reely Jiggered ● Tartan Creations by Yvonne Macrae ● Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band ● Delting Jarl Squad ● Combined Banchory and Robert Gordon's College Pipe Bands Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
LNER backed the Edinburgh Tartan Parade wearing their own tartan
Stepping off on the Royal Mile, the event celebrated Scotland's rich heritage, culture and fostering of inclusivity. Colleagues from LNER joined the parade of more than 1,600 people including lively musicians, traditional pipe bands, dazzling dancers and other organisations who made their way along Cockburn Street, Waverley Bridge, East Princes Street Gardens and The National Galleries. They wore sashes made from the official LNER tartan. The registered tartan was unveiled at Edinburgh Waverley station on 31 July 2019, marking the launch of LNER Class 800 Azuma trains on Anglo-Scot services. Woven with rich and vibrant colours, the tartan symbolises the diverse places and communities served by LNER—from the Scottish Highlands to London. Its predominant blue represents Scotland, while red stands for England. White evokes the white rose of Yorkshire, where LNER's historic headquarters are based. Purple reflects the heather of the Scottish landscape, green signifies the rolling hills and scenic destinations along the route, and silver-grey tramlines run through the pattern, symbolising the railway tracks that unite these communities. Celebrating the spirit of the 'LNER clan', the tartan is a proud emblem for current and former employees alike, honouring their role in connecting people and places along the LNER route. Inspired by the annual success of the New York City Tartan Day Parade, Edinburgh's celebrations come as the city celebrates its 900th anniversary. Jake Orros, Community Partnerships Manager at LNER, said: 'At LNER, celebrating our communities is extremely important to us. We're delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural Edinburgh Tartan Parade which brings people together to share traditions, all things Tartan and Scottish heritage and culture.' Tania Pramschufer, Tartan Parade Scotland, said: 'Tartan Parade Scotland are over the moon to welcome LNER as sponsors of the inaugural Edinburgh Tartan Parade, with shared community values and their support bringing together this very exciting event. Many of the parade participants will be arriving to Edinburgh on an LNER train from right across the UK, so they can enjoy the ride and relax right up until arriving to the dazzling tartan parade, joining 1600 kindred tartan enthusiasts.' LNER one of the main sponsors sporting their own tartan Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Inaugural Edinburgh Tartan Parade expected to draw 1,600 people this weekend
Watch more of our videos on and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Visit Shots! now The first Edinburgh Tartan Parade will take place this Saturday (May 10) – an event inspired by the world-famous New York Tartan Week. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Kicking off at 1pm on at the City Chambers in the High Street, the parade will then head down Cockburn Street, across Waverley Bridge and through East Princes Street Gardens before ending at the Mound Precinct alongside the National Galleries of Scotland. Around 1,600 people are expected to join the celebrations, with Gail Porter and the New York Tartan Week president among the guests. The event will be followed by a ceilidh at 2pm at the Ross Bandstand and a gala concert at the Usher Hall at 8pm featuring the internationally renowned Red Hot Chilli Pipers and top Scottish folk band Rura. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gail Porter and Eileen Longmuir will be among the guests at the first ever Edinburgh Tartan Parade | Submitted Edinburgh-born Gail Porter, who will host the Usher Hall event, said she was thrilled to be joining the parade. She said: 'I'll be wearing the Fair Trade tartan with knee-high Doc Marten boots. Tartan was not really a family thing for me – but I was such a fan of Vivienne Westwood – she made it look so rock and roll.' Pipe bands and traditional dance troupes from around Scotland will also be taking part, alongside participants from Australia, America, France and Sweden – as well as more than 100 Bay City Roller fans from around the world. The organisers of Edinburgh Tartan Parade have invited Kyle Dawson, president of New York Tartan Week to be the Grand Marshal of the event – which will now be held every year. He said: 'I'm very excited to be coming and it was such an honour to be named Grand Marshal. New York Tartan Week is such a special event – I have had Scottish visitors come up to me in New York and say 'I have never felt more Scottish than I do today.'' New York based Suzan Rostron of the world-wide Bay City Rollers fan community Still Rollin' said fans will be coming from around the world to Edinburgh to join the parade. Suzan said: 'We all had the same experience as 12 and 13-year-olds falling in love with them. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We were a fan community even then – we all had pen pals all over the world and to see where we are today 50 years later is just fantastic. I wanted to know everything about Scotland – and we all feel the same way – it's our mecca. We have events all over the world – but the ones in Scotland are special – and we are thrilled that Eileen Longmuir will be there – she is our queen.' Eileen Longmuir, wife of the late Bay City Roller Alan Longmuir, will be wearing the purple and pink tartan created in her husband's memory. She said: 'It's always fantastic to be in Edinburgh, it was where Alan was brought up. He was born in Caledonian Road and he used to play on the banks of the Castle.' Edinburgh Tartan Day organisers said the parade will celebrate Scottish tradition and the open-hearted and generous global spirit of Scotland. Among the tartans represented will be the brand new-Autism Awareness tartan, the Samaritans tartan and the Witches of Scotland tartan. Edinburgh Tartan Parade founder Tania Pramschufer said: 'We want everyone to come together in the name of tartan and to have a wonderful time. It's not just about identity, it is about community. We want everyone to feel part of something really Scottish and to enjoy walking through the beautiful streets of Edinburgh on the glorious route which takes us from the Old Town to the New Town.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron, Edinburgh's Depute Lord Provost said: "Edinburgh is proud to host the first Tartan Parade Scotland, aligning with our city's 900th anniversary. This event not only celebrates our history but also our commitment to cultural diversity and community engagement.' Tickets for the evening concert cost £38.50 and £35.20 and can be purchased via the Usher Hall website.
Edinburgh Reporter
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
First Edinburgh Tartan Parade to be held on Saturday
The first Edinburgh Tartan Parade will step off at 1pm from the City Chambers on Saturday with the Rt Hon Lord Provost, Robert Aldridge, Kyle Dawson, the President of the NYC National Tartan Day New York Committee, and Portobello's own Gail Porter at the head of the procession. Some 1600 participants have signed up to take part in the first celebration of tartan which mimics the New York parade held at the beginning of April. Edinburgh Tartan Parade founder Tania Pramschufer said: 'We want everyone to come together in the name of tartan and to have a wonderful time. It's not just about identity, it is about community. We want everyone to feel part of something really Scottish and to enjoy walking through the beautiful streets of Edinburgh on the glorious route which takes us from the Old Town to the New Town.' Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron, Depute Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh said: 'Edinburgh is proud to host the first Tartan Parade Scotland, aligning with our city's 900th anniversary. This event not only celebrates our history but also our commitment to cultural diversity and community engagement.' Tania Pramschufer with Pulse of the Place ahead of their New York visit Photo © 2023 Martin P. McAdam Gail Porter, who will host the Usher Hall event in the evening, said she was thrilled to be joining the parade: 'I'll be wearing the Fair Trade tartan with knee-high Doc Marten boots. Tartan was not really a family thing for me – but I was such a fan of Vivienne Westwood – she made it look so rock and roll.' NYC Tartan Day Parade 2023 Gail Porter Grand Marshal 2023 PHOTO Martin P McAdam Kyle Dawson said: 'I'm very excited to be coming and it was such an honour to be named Grand Marshal. New York Tartan Week is such a special event – I have had Scottish visitors come up to me in New York and say: 'I have never felt more Scottish than I do today.'' NYC Tartan Day Parade 2023 Kyle Dawson Participants will include pipe bands and traditional dance troupes from around Scotland, alongside people from Australia, America, France and Sweden. Vikings from Shetland and traditional Chinese dragon dancers will also be taking part – as well as more than 100 Bay City Roller fans from around the world. New York based Suzan Rostron of the world-wide Bay City Rollers fan community Still Rollin' said fans will be coming from around the world to Edinburgh to join the parade: 'We all had the same experience as 12 and 13-year-olds falling in love with them. We were a fan community even then – we all had pen pals all over the world and to see where we are today 50 years later is just fantastic. I wanted to know everything about Scotland – and we all feel the same way – it's our mecca. We have events all over the world – but the ones in Scotland are special – and we are thrilled that Eileen Longmuir will be there – she is our queen.' Eileen Longmuir, wife of Alan will be wearing the purple and pink tartan created in her late husband's memory – Alan Longmuir Proud Son of Edinburgh. She said: 'It's always fantastic to be in Edinburgh, it was where Alan was brought up. He was born in Caledonian Road and he used to play on the banks of the Castle.' Bay City Rollers fans in New York – they claim 50 years of friendship thanks to the Edinburgh group Programme of Events 1pm City Chambers, High Street Edinburgh Parade begins 2pm Post Parade Ceilidh for Parade Participants Ross Bandstand 8pm Red Hot Chilli Pipers and Rura Tartan Parade Celebration Concert, hosted by Gail Porter Usher Hall Tickets £38.50 and £35.20 Ticket link here: Eileen Longmuir widow of late Roller, Alan Longmuir in the Alan Longmuir tartan Like this: Like Related
