First held in 1999 when a couple of pipe bands and a small bunch of enthusiastic Scottish-Americans took to the streets of New York, the annual Tartan Day Parade has become a big event in recent years.
Held on the closest Saturday to April 6, when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320, it’s the culmination of the city’s Tartan Week and is the world’s biggest event marking Tartan Day, a celebration originally established in Canada in the 1980s.
Each year a famous face is invited to be Grand Marshal, becoming the face of the year’s event and leading the parade of thousand of participants and musician - all, of course, wearing tartan.
This year’s procession, on Satuday, April 5, will see actor Alan Cumming become only the second person to act as Grand Marshal twice.
17. 2019: Sir Billy Connolly
We're not sure why it took so long, but legendary Scottish comedian Sir Billy Connolly finally took on Grand Marshal duties in 2019. He said that the event made him "dance a wee jig in his heart". | Contributed
18. 2020: Brian Cox
In 2020 Dundee-born actor Brian Cox became the first person to lead the Tartan Day Parade. He had recently taken on the critically-acclaimed role of Logan Roy in smash hit television series 'Succession'. | Getty Images
19. 2022: Karen Gillan
One of the highest grossing actresses in history, thanks to her appearances in the 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' and 'Jumanji' films, Inverness actress accepted the invitation to New York in 2022. She has since branched out into filmmaking, directing the acclaimed 'The Party's Just Beginning'. | Contributed
20. 2023: Gail Porter
Former Scottish model and actress Gail Porter marched at the head of the parade in 2023. She recently earned glowing reviews for her autobiographical standup show 'Hung Drawn and Portered', which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. | Martin McAdam