Tartan Day on Ellis Island

Tartan Day on Ellis Island Tartan Day on Ellis Island is one of the principal Scottish heritage events in the United States. An arts initiative of the Learned Kindred of Currie.

The event debuted in 2002 and is presented free-of-charge to the general public. Ellis Island is a fitting place to observe Tartan Day. The island and its historic buildings represent America's "Golden Door." From 1892 to 1954, more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island. Although many Scots arrived during the colonial period of our history – helping to build the new nation - an ad

ditional half-million Scots came through Ellis Island. It has been estimated that 40% of Americans today can trace at least one ancestor's entry into the United States through Ellis Island. Describing the program, noted Scottish journalist and author Roddy Martine reported that of all the Tartan Day events held in the United States, the Ellis Island observance has, "stood out as a beacon of what USA Tartan Day is all about: the emigrant ancestors of ordinary Americans who over three centuries crossed the Atlantic Ocean to create the world's greatest democracy." Tartan Day on Ellis Island began its successful collaboration with the Ellis Island Immigration Museum in 2002 in the coordination and sponsorship of their first Tartan Day celebration. That year, Ellis Island Tartan Day organizers and the National Museums of Scotland joined forces to host the traveling exhibit, "Home and Away: Highland Departures and Returns." Subsequent programs have included exhibitions on the Jacobites and America, the Life and Legacy of John Muir, A Celebration of Tartan and Scots in the American West. These celebrations also feature performances by a whole host of Scottish artists including pipers and drummers, Highland dancers, fiddlers, jugglers and harpists to name a few. A new Ellis Island Tartan© was commissioned in 2011 to mark the 10th Anniversary of Tartan Day on Ellis Island. Each color in the tartan reflects upon the American immigrant experience. The blue represents the ocean that had to be crossed to reach the American shores. The copper-green is the color of the Statue of Liberty. The red depicts the bricks of the Ellis Island buildings where 12 million Americans took their first steps towards freedom. The gold is the golden door that is the United States of America and the dawn of a new life in America. Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority in Crieff, Scotland said: "As the first American footfall for millions of emigrants —including hundreds of thousands of Scots—Ellis Island plays an extremely important part in many family histories. It is entirely appropriate that all those whose American origins were born there should be able to celebrate and commemorate that momentous occasion by wearing the new Ellis Island Tartan.”

The 2016 event may very well be the largest Tartan Day event in the world with an estimated one million visitors* coming to Ellis Island.

*National Park Service figures

04/06/2026

"The Crafter's Song" was the first documentary film produced in America about National Tartan Day. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Cliff Robertson, t...

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20260402/282235197207412
04/03/2026

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20260402/282235197207412

Every April, just as New York begins to ven­ture bleary eyed into the spring sun­shine, something remark­able hap­pens: The city is con­fron­ted with a sea of tartan. From all over the United States, rep­res­ent­at­ives of the Scot­tish dia­spora...

03/21/2026
03/20/2026
03/20/2026

Happy first day of Spring.

https://ottscot.ca/blether/2026/3/7/origins-of-tartan-day-in-canada?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=63e6c0c0920b7f1...
03/18/2026

https://ottscot.ca/blether/2026/3/7/origins-of-tartan-day-in-canada?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=63e6c0c0920b7f130f0d5191&ss_email_id=69b020d0c28c1e04b8ef4c84&ss_campaign_name=March+Newsletter&ss_campaign_sent_date=2026-03-10T13%3A47%3A24Z

By Nujma Bond Scottish or not, many people understand that in modern times the meaning of tartans lies in family history – even if at one time it was the dress of warriors. Less commonly known is the origin of Tartan Day in Canada, which is when some of the millions of Canadians with Scottish ro

03/17/2026
03/03/2026

Three boys getting a preliminary look by a doctor at the Hospital.

03/03/2026

Beautiful photo taken in 2027 with the New York skyline in the background.

Address

Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Jersey City, NJ

Website

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