Tartan Day Parade draws Scotland Week to a spectacular close
The annual Tartan Day parade along 6th Avenue in New York ended the week-long celebrations of Scottishness.
Scotland Week got under way last weekend, with Tartan Day.
Tartan Day, a celebration of the contribution of American-Scots to US culture and life, has been celebrated since 1998. Over the years it has been expanded into a week-long programme of events promoting Scotland in North America.
Ahead of the parade, Scottish Enterprise Minister Fergus Ewing presented the first weave of a new tartan fabric to the president of the committee Lesley MacLennan.
The official tartan has been designed by the Scottish Tartans Authority, funded by the Scottish Registers of Tartan and its registration donated by the National Records of Scotland. Its colours and pattern represent aspects of Scottish and American culture such as the blue and white of the Saltire and the green of the trees bordering 6th Avenue where the parade takes place.
Mr Ewing took part in the Tartan Day Parade behind this year's grand marshal, the Scots-born actor Brian Cox.
Mr Ewing said: "Scotland Week has been a wonderful opportunity for myself and my colleagues to let Canada and the US see exactly what Scotland has to offer in terms of a must-see, must-return visitor destination and a great place to do business.
"In New York I have had the opportunity to promote the Year of Creative Scotland and encourage people from across the United States to visit Scotland to see our innovative nation and witness its world-renowned hospitality.
"To finish this off with the annual Tartan Day Parade in the heart of Manhattan was extremely fitting. It is a great celebration of the shared history and culture between our two nations. I hope the National New York Tartan Day Parade Committee take their new tartan and use it to represent the event for years to come."
Have a look at photos from the Tartan Day Parade in our gallery