First Minister set to jet to New York for Tartan Week

The First Minister is expected to meet a number of high-profile current and potential investors to promote the economic opportunities on offer in Scotland.

Exports of Scottish goods to the US were worth £4bn in 2023 and more than 700 US-owned enterprises employ 115,000 people, a statement from Mr Swinney said.

The Tartan Week celebration of Scottish arts and culture emerged after the US Senate officially declared April 6 Tartan Day in 1998 in order to honour the contributions that American Scots have made to the US.

Mr Swinney, speaking ahead of the visit, said: “Scotland enjoys deep and enduring links with the US, which is both our largest inward investor and second largest export market after the European Union.

He added: “Scotland is open for business and is one of the best places in the world to invest.

“We have a reputation as a world-class entrepreneurial nation, with the number of start-ups, spinouts, and scale-up companies growing at pace.

“We also have the potential to become a strategic hub for future renewable energy investments, specifically by developing and scaling projects in offshore wind, green hydrogen, and energy storage.

“Tartan Week in April is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Scottish culture and promote economic opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.”

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Mr Swinney said he was looking forward to meeting “our dynamic diaspora” and the country’s biggest - and potential - investors.

“I want to showcase Scotland’s progressive international outlook, and our focus on innovation, sustainability and growth,” he added.

Events will run across the city for Tartan Week, which peaks in the public eye with the Tartan Week Parade on April 5.

Around 4,000 people are expected to take part in the procession from West 45th Street to 55th Street.

Pipers, drummers will be out in force with the Atholl Highlanders, Britain’s only private regiment based at Blair Castle, also to march on the day.

The parade also has a ‘Celtic canine’ section where a list of accepted breeds, from West Highland Terriers to Shetland Sheepdogs and Gordon Setters, can take part.

Actor and artistic director Alan Cumming will head the parade for a second time as Grand Marshal. He first led the procession in 2009.

He earlier said: “As a Scottish American there can be no greater honor to be back as Grand Marshal for the Tartan Day Parade in New York City, and especially as this year is my first as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre – another huge Scottish honor that I hold dear.

“I promise to be faithful and to dress up for the occasion.”

For the parade he will wear a custom kilt designed by 21st Century Kilts and a jacket designed by Geoffrey Tailor & Kilt Maker.