Ulster Scots Agency debut new Tartan Day event with parade of pipes and dancers through Belfast city centre on Saturday

Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish culture and heritage, the centrepiece of which is the “Big Dander” – a parade of pipers and dancers through the heart of Belfast.

The dander will see bands and groups from the city and around Ulster take part, including pipers, drummers, drum majors, and Highland and Scottish Country dancers.

The massed band will play well-known tunes including “Scotland The Brave”, “Rowan Tree” and “Balmoral” as they move along Royal Avenue towards City Hall at noon.

Although the Ulster Scots Agency originally sent out an open invitation for musicians to join the parade, there has been such a huge interest that they’ve had to close it and the parade is now fully booked.

But anyone’s welcome to come and watch the musicians and dancers as they bring a bit of hamely history and culture to the big city.

Participants in the parade are then to head into City Hall for a Tartan Tea, during which they’ll be entertained by a Scottish Ceilidh Band.

As Ian Crozier, CEO of the Ulster Scots Agency explained, the event is timed to tie in with St Andrew’s Day – a celebration of the patron saint of Scotland.

"We wanted the first time we held Tartan Day to be a Saturday as close as possible to St Andrew’s Day,” he said. “This year St Andrew’s Day falls on a Saturday, so it’s the perfect time to get it up and running.

"It’s going to be a fun demonstration of Ulster Scots heritage for all the family, and we hope it’ll become an annual fixture of Belfast’s cultural calendar.”

The agency has been working with Belfast City Council over the event, and hopes it will link in well with the city’s Christmas Market – bringing participants and spectators alike to the area for a spot of festive shopping.

Two other parades from different organisations are slated to converge on City Hall at around the same time, however; one a flute band march from Sandy Row, and the other a pro-Palestine protest that will be heading along a similar route to Tartan Day.

But Mr Crozier is confident that neither the participants nor spectators of the three parades will step on each other’s toes.

“We have connections with the Sandy Row parade, so we’ve come to arrangements with them,” he said. “We’ll be in having our Tartan Tea by the time they arrive.”

Although the Palestine protest and Tartan Day are route to walk on some of the same streets, they leave from different spots – the protesters from Writer’s Square and Tartan Day from Victoria Street – meaning Mr Crozier is confident they won’t get in each other’s way.

"All three organisations have been liaising with the PSNI over the plans for the day, and I believe the understanding is that departures will be sufficiently staggered and following separate routes, so we shouldn’t bump into each other,” he said.

The Tartan Day parade departs from the Discover Ulster-Scots Centre at noon and heads along Royal Avenue to arrive at City Hall around 1pm on Saturday.