The National Tartan Day New York Committee announced on Thursday that Scottish actress Karen Gillan will be Grand Marshal of the 2022 New York City Tartan Day Parade.
This is the 24th year that the event will be held in midtown Manhattan on a Saturday in April nearest to National Tartan Day.
This year it will take place on 9 April 2022, returning in person for the first time since 2019. Tartan Day is a celebration of Scottish heritage in the US on 6 April, the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. It originated in Canada in the mid-1980 from a petition by Jean Watson, President of Clan Lamont. It then spread to other communities of the Scottish diaspora in the 1990s regularly observed after the US Congress designated 6 April each year as National Tartan Day.
Gillan will lead the parade, and will be followed by a lively procession of pipes and drums, Highland dancers, Scottish family clans, and Shetlander Vikings.
The annual celebration of Scottish heritage and culture brings together a rich tapestry of participants along with many thousands of spectators.
Karen said: “I am absolutely delighted to represent Scotland in the next New York City Tartan Day Parade. I’m honoured to help celebrate Scotland in America, and I look forward to playing a part in broadening the public’s awareness of Scotland’s history and cultural contributions.”
The actor is internationally known for her film, television and stage acting in productions including fan favourites from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1and Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, andAvengers: Endgame, in addition to several other projects such as Gunpowder Milkshake, Jumanji, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Doctor Who. Her most recent credits include Dual and the upcoming The Bubble.
She is currently in production on Marvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and it was recently announced that she will be voicing the title character in Rhona Who Lives by the Riverfor Disney+. Karen’s work has been recognised with multiple British film and television awards, such as an Empire Award and a National Television Award. She has additionally received a Teen Choice Award in the United States and nominations for a BAFTA Scotland Award and Saturn Award.
Born and raised in Inverness, in addition to her impressive roster of acting credentials, Karen is also a filmmaker and won a Best Feature Film nomination from BAFTA Scotland for her Inverness-set film, The Party’s Just Beginning.
Registration for the 2022 NYC Tartan Parade is now open.
Groups and individuals are invited to march in the 24th Annual New York City Tartan Day Parade on Saturday, April 9, 2022 for free and can register by visiting the website.
In 2019 the last time the parade took place, Sir Billy Connolly was the Grand Marshal, and his wife Pamela Stephenson accompanied him to judge the dogs competition and take the salute on Sixth Avenue as the parade passed by.
The previous year, singer songwriter KT Tunstall was Grand Marshal at the head of the parade with a borrowed greyhound, King,
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