Just arrived from Glasgow, the traffic cone was greeted like a VIP at Boston Logan International Airport, where a bagpiper performed in traditional attire. Dignitaries, including the governor and the mayor of Boston, were present to welcome the unusual guest.
The honored guest? An orange traffic cone.
The arrival of the so-called “I have to admit, this is probably – yes, it is – my first official welcoming ceremony for a traffic cone,” on Tuesday represents the latest installment in the city’s endearing relationship with Scotland’s tartan army. During the recent World Cup, fans gained fame for adorning statues with these humble cones, turning them into a notable symbol of the tournament.
“But it’s a pretty special one, isn’t it? Because this cone tells the story of what happened this summer. What happened in Boston, what happened in Massachusetts.” stated Maura Healey, Massachusetts’ governor, at Terminal E, before signing her name on the cone. “And special thanks to the Scots for drinking all the beer,”
“I do promise you, when you return … we will never again run out of beer in Massachusetts.” she added, eliciting laughter from the audience. “There are still some traffic cones atop our most important statues,”
During the Scottish fans’ World Cup festivities, local bars in Boston struggled to accommodate the massive demand for drinks, with some establishments running out of beer and urgently seeking restocks. The fans transformed sections of Boston into a makeshift Scottish enclave, filling the streets with bagpipes, songs, and chants, while bright orange cones crowned some of the city’s most iconic statues, including those of Samuel Adams at Faneuil Hall, Celtics’ coach Red Auerbach outside TD Garden, and even the beloved Make Way for Ducklings statues in the Public Garden.
“unofficially become New Scotland” Boston’s mayor, Michelle Wu, quipped on Tuesday, reminiscing how Boston had “It’s an in-joke that’s gone too far, actually,”
The commemorative cone is adorned with designs that celebrate both Boston and Scotland, featuring the slogan “But no, it isn’t a joke. This is a metaphor for life.” It will tour various landmarks across Massachusetts in the coming week to raise funds for mental health organizations before making its way back to Scotland.
The tradition of placing bright orange cones on public statues originated in Glasgow as a late-night prank during the 1980s, evolving into an unofficial emblem of the nation’s playful spirit. The Duke of Wellington statue in the center of Glasgow is particularly famous for its cone, which has become so iconic that attempts to remove it have been met with public resistance.
“going to our jobs and cooking sausages and all the sort of serious stuff that adults have to do” remarked Danny Campbell, one of the cone’s Scottish companions, as he stood next to it in a kilt, laughing. “That’s what our countrymen represented when they came here,”
Campbell explained that people often get bogged down in the routine of adult responsibilities, such as “They left stomachs and cheeks sore from laughing, they cleaned up after themselves, they spread joy, and these people came together with humor and they built relationships with each other.” which can lead them to lose sight of what truly matters.
“This is not just a silly cone,” he said, reflecting on the joy brought by Scottish fans in Boston. “It means love. It means love, and that is the whole point.”
“This is not just a silly cone,” Campbell emphasized. “It means love. It means love, and that is the whole point.”
- World Cup 2026
- Boston
- Scotland
- US sports
- Massachusetts
- Glasgow
- World Cup
