The Naval Academy Pipes & Drums band march in front of Radio City Music Hall during New York City’s Tartan Week parade. Photo courtesy of Tricia K. Storey.

The Tartan Week Parade began in 1998 when two pipe bands and a gathering of Scottish Americans marched from the British Consulate to the United Nations. Since then, the event has evolved into a huge celebration of Scottish American heritage that annually draws more than 650 pipes and drums bands from across the country.

‘‘Leading the Tartan Day Parade in New York City was a great honor and an exhilarating experience,” said Midn. 2⁄C William Lapinel, who has been a member of the band since he was a plebe. ‘‘While we have done many parades, we still get a little nervous when they lead us to the starting position and say ‘whenever you’re ready.’ But once we started, it was just like any other performance. We were in tune, the crowd was big, and it was a beautiful day.”

The parade, held in April, celebrates the Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish Declaration of Independence, which was signed on April 6, 1320. It also honors Scottish Americans who played key roles in the founding of the United States, with almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence being of Scottish descent and nine of the original 13 states governed by men of Scottish ancestry.

The parade, which passes such New York City landmarks as Radio City Music Hall, is the main event of the week long celebration.

‘‘There are few things as uplifting as the sound of a pipe band in its groove,” said Lapinel. ‘‘We all get so pumped that we have to hold ourselves back from going too fast. But we played well, and many people said we were the best band there.”