Tartan Day Parade’24

Representing the University of St Andrews, over 50 alum and supporters could be heard singing “Here Come the Saints” down Sixth Avenue. This year’s Tartan Day Parade saw the largest alumni turn out, a new, bigger banner, and adoration from a crowd proud to represent Scotland.

Starting the day off with brunch at Jane Doe near Times Square, fellow alumni and supporters celebrated over breakfast and mimosas (with the occasional Guinness). Followed by a speech from Robert Flemming, Director of Development, the group set off for the parade: dressed in kilts, St Andrews merchandise, and a lot of tartan! Post-parade drinks were held at McCarthy’s Pub and presented a long-awaited opportunity to sit down and rest our legs after a day of walking.

“Living in such a big city, it’s often difficult to feel a sense of community. Yet no community has ever felt as loud as that of former St Andrews students and current staff at the parade on Saturday. We were truly able to capture the magic!” - Deanna Coleman, President

We were lucky enough to be joined by a large range of alumni, from those that graduated 20 years ago to the most recent class of 2023. Some of the St Andrews spirit was captured by families of alumni whose children were as young as five. Moreover, we were joined by alumni and University staff who had traveled from other East Coast cities and Scotland to celebrate with us.

The parade at large is organized by The National Tartan Day New York Committee, and this year featured over 100 clubs. We were lucky enough to have Scottish actor, Dougray Scott, as the parade’s Grand Marshal. If you were a part of the event, please follow the link for more photos.

Please join us next year to celebrate again! Save the date: April 5th, 2025.