Family Ties

Question: The success of the recent World Cup sparked Boston to officially establish a “sister city” relationship with what European city?

Answer: Glasgow

The concept of “Sister Cities”—partnerships between two communities in different nations that foster cultural exchange and friendship— goes back centuries. Also called “Twin Towns,” these partnerships became especially popular in the aftermath of World War II as a means to promote international peace and bolster local economies. Although there is a strange logic that underlies many of the sister city pairings (often related to population or geography), the inspiration behind the recent partnership between Boston and Glasgow has to be a first—it happened because of an invading army.

The last time an army invaded Boston was in 1768, when British troops occupied the city, sparking America’s Revolutionary War. The most recent invasion was by the “Tartan Army,” an estimated 50,000 passionate Scottish football fans—complete with kilts and bagpipes—who descended on Boston to support Scotland’s first World Cup appearance since 1998. When it was all over, they would drink Boston pubs dry, take over Fenway Park, and win the hearts of the entire city.

How a Tartan Army Captured the Heart of Boston

With Boston’s rich history, its streets are always teeming with tourists. But this was different. For starters, it was all the kilts. They were everywhere. And these kilted visitors speaking some lyrical language (which turned out to be English) packed the city’s narrow streets, subway cars, restaurants, and pubs—mostly the pubs. “There is nowhere you can go in the city right now without seeing someone in a kilt,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said, “and it has been absolutely delightful.”

The positive energy they brought to the city was infectious. Not usually known as the most passionate soccer fans—nor particularly welcoming to foreigners that take over their drinking establishments—local Bostonians were thoroughly charmed by the Tartan Army. Locals and Scots happily mingled to drink more than one bar dry. The owner of the city’s only Scottish bar, the Haven, Jason Waddleton, reported that the Tartan Army put away 65 kegs in just six days.

In one pub, the Scots brought the house down by loudly proclaiming: “Anyone who can beat the English is a friend of Scotland.” They weren’t talking about soccer, of course—they meant our victory in the Revolutionary War.

Mayor Wu commented on something else that endeared the Tartan Army to the residents of Boston—and puts many of us to shame, really. After any city-wide celebration in Boston, you can be sure there will be mountains of trash in the aftermath. But as the mayor put it: “In space after space, where the Tartan Army has occupied, whether it is the fan march or other spaces, they’re cleaning up after themselves completely. They’re gathering all the litter, putting it away when the trash cans are overflowed, putting it in a little pile next to the trash cans. It’s a mayor’s dream, really.” It’s even more impressive when you consider the amount of beer consumed by the Tartan Army day and night—which was about to increase dramatically ...

From the soccer pitch to the pitcher’s mound

When Scotland’s national team managed to defeat Haiti 1-0, securing their first World Cup win in 36 years, that’s when the celebrating really began. The morning after their victory at Boston Stadium (actually, Gillette Stadium, renamed for the World Cup), Boston’s historic streets were flooded with kilts and bagpipes when some 5,000 ecstatic members of the Tartan Army marched through the city on their way to—where else?—Fenway Park to take in a Red Sox game.

Once again, the Tartan Army won over the crowd, dominating the day at Boston’s iconic ballpark. One of their memorable groups songs that is sure to pass into Red Sox lore was a rousing rendition of the ‘80s hit “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Scottish band the Proclaimers.

The Tartan Army also revealed their reputation for playful mischief by placing traffic cones on the heads of Boston statues. This 40-year Glasgow tradition began with a cone topping a statue of the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art in the 1980s. Whenever the cone was removed, a new one replaced it until the city finally surrendered and left it there. During their Boston stay, the Tartan Army managed to place traffic cones atop statues of founding father Samuel Adams and Boston basketball legend Bill Russell.

Following Scotland’s disappointing World Cup loss to Morocco, the Boston Globe printed a headline that captured the mood of the city: "Smitten from the start, Boston left brokenhearted as Tartan Army moves on." The newspaper also published the following full-page letter to thank the Scotland fans:

"Dear Tartan Army, you came for the World Cup, but gave us something more.

"For a week, you turned train stations into sing-alongs, Fenway into a football ground, and an ordinary June into something we'll be talking about for years.

"Boston has hosted championships, parades, and celebrations of every kind. But we've never hosted guests quite like you all.

"Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we'll never forget the joy you brought to our city."

The Tartan Army reciprocated with a letter of their own, thanking Boston for welcoming supporters with “open arms, open bars, and open minds.” It went on to say: "Boston, you've embraced us like long-lost cousins who turned up unannounced, drank all your beer, decorated your statues, and somehow remained welcome. You are all welcome back to ours to keep this party going. We loved making memories together. Stories will be told down through future generations in Boston and in Scotland."

Before the Tartan Army returned home, Mayor Michelle Wu met with some members at, naturally, The Haven to announce plans to form an enduring relationship between Boston and the city of Glasgow. Donning her pink Scotland jersey, she signed the official documents that would kick off the sister city process while chanting the Tartan Army mantra that rang out on the Boston streets all week: “No Scotland, No Party!” And the Tartan Army answered with: “No Wu, No Party!”

A first-class parting gift from the Tartan Army

It was a sad day in Boston after the last planeload of Tartan Army passengers began its journey across the Atlantic back to Scotland. But those scamps had one more surprise up their kilts. A few days later, Boston officials were made aware of a Delta flight that would be arriving carrying a pair of representatives bearing a gift from the Tartan Army to express their thanks for the kindness they were shown during their stay.

When the Glasgow flight landed at Logan International Airport, as soon as passengers began leaving the plane, a bagpiper in full regalia started playing. A welcoming committee including Governor Maura Healey, Mayor Wu, and other Boston officials was waiting to greet the two representatives from Scotland, who were accompanying the guest of honor, which had been safely strapped into a first-class seat between them—a bright orange traffic cone.

Scotland may not be the best in the world on the football pitch, but as the Tartan Army proved on the streets of Boston, our new sister city is in a league of its own.

A Few More Fascinating Facts About “Sister Cities” in the World

• A couple of yawners—The successful pairing of the sister cities of Dull, Scotland, and Boring, Oregon, received so much media attention and increased tourism, that a third city—Bland, Australia—wanted to join them, resulting in one of the rare “triplet cities.” Needless to say, things are getting a bit more exciting in Dull, Boring, and Bland these days ....
• Makes horse sense—Horseheads, New York, and Nakagawa, Japan are sister cities. When a Japanese man from Bato-machi (which translates to “horse head”) spotted the town of Horseheads on a map, he encouraged his local government to contact the city, which resulted in an official “sister city” relationship. Bato-machi became part of the larger city of Nakagawa, Japan, but the relationship endures.
• Seek and ye shall find—On the surface, Bakersfield, California, an agricultural and oil hub sitting in the desert-like San Joaquin Valley, seems to have nothing in common with its sister city Amritsar, India, located near the Pakistani border and home of the Golden Temple. The common link is the Sikh religion. Bakersfield is home to a large Sikh population and Amritsar is Sikhism’s holiest city.
• Holy Toledo—A gifting of steel swords in the late 1800s by Toledo, Spain, to Toledo, Ohio, planted the seeds of an official “sister city” relationship between the two Toledos in 1931. Except for a few interruptions during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, their vows are renewed at every anniversary: “Long Live the Spirit of the Two Toledos.”
• Sisterhood of the traveling peacock—The earliest known city partnership in Europe took place in 836 AD between Paderborn, Germany, and Le Mans, France—two Catholic dioceses that each paid tribute to Saint Liborius. After the death of Liborius, who had been Bishop of Le Mans for 49 years, his relics were requested to be brought to Paderborn. They weren’t in too much of a hurry, though—legend has it that a peacock was at the head of the 500-mile procession that transported the relics from Le Mans to Paderborn. Liborius has remained the patron saint for more than 1,000 years and both dioceses continue to support each other today.
• Brothers in arms—The first sister city relationship in the modern era began in 1920 between Keighley, England, and Poix-du-Nord, France. While stationed in Poix-du-Nord during World War I, soldiers from Keighley witnessed the devastation of the town. When the war was over, they urged their town to enter into a “twinning agreement” as a gesture of solidarity. Funds were raised to build a community center in Poix-du-Nord (still in use today), which was named the Keighley Center as a reminder of their wartime friendship.
• Shake ‘n’ Bake!—The common links between the sister cities of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Monza, Italy, are the Indy 500 and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza (the Italian Grand Prix). Remember, if you ain’t first, you’re last!
• You can never have too many sisters—While most sister city relationships are monogamous—one city and one sister city—some cities like large families. San Francisco has 20 sister cities. Los Angeles has 25. Barcelona has 22. But the big winner is St. Petersburg, Russia, with 63 sister cities—although it lost one when Prague ended its sisterhood relationship due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• I like Ike’s way of thinking—The idea of sister cities gained momentum in 1956 when Dwight D. Eisenhower created Sister Cities International, a U.S. nonprofit organization focused on pairing cities to bolster local economies and help heal the wounds of World War II.
• Dreams do come true, sort of—In 2009, Disney World sponsored a contest to find a British sister city that would best complement the iconic theme park. The surprising winner—which was chosen based on promotional video along with a poem extolling its virtues—was Swindon, an uninspiring railway town west of London. The Daily News called Swindon a “depressing concrete metropolis” and drily summarized the new partnership thus: “One is a magical place where dreams come true. The other, is Swindon.”
• At least Swindon was real—There aren’t too many hard and fast rules governing who can enter into sister city arrangements. But Wincanton, U.K., may have taken things too far in 2002, when the mayor signed an official deed twinning Wincanton with Ankh-Morpork, a fictional city from British author Terry Prachett’s Discworld series.

Visit the home turf of the Tartan Army and experience a welcome like no other during Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs & Highland Landscapes.