{"id":2930,"date":"2026-06-17T12:33:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2930"},"modified":"2026-06-17T12:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:33:51","slug":"why-are-traffic-cones-appearing-on-statues-all-over-boston-during-the-world-cup-the-scots-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2930","title":{"rendered":"Why are traffic cones appearing on statues all over Boston during the World Cup? The Scots explain."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Statues across Boston have recently sported a new accessory: traffic cones perched on their bronze heads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018No Scotland, no party!\u2019 Boston is starting to agree.<\/a><\/p>\n

The pointy headgear is the doing of Scotland\u2019s high-spirited Tartan Army, who have descended on the city for the World Cup, bringing with them kilts and bagpipes, a thirst for beer \u2014 and the occasional penchant for tomfoolery. Hence the bright orange cones perched like party hats on statues of Bruins legend Bobby Orr and Paul Revere. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The tradition began in Glasgow back in the 1980s. The story goes that, as a prank, some late-night revelers put a cone on the head of the Duke of Wellington statue, located outside the Gallery of Modern Art, Ross Walker, a lecturer in sport management at the University of Stirling, said in an email. <\/span><\/p>\n

(The Irish-born Wellington was a commander of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and later served as prime minister of the United Kingdom.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, local authorities removed the cone. But locals continued to crown the statue every time its plastic hat was taken down, \u201cto the point where it became a permanent fixture,\u201d said Andrew Dunn, 53, of Glasgow, who\u2019s enjoying the World Cup while visiting his daughter in Boston, in an email. <\/span><\/p>\n

Scots say the tradition captures their sense of humor and how they refuse to take themselves too seriously. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Another popular Tartan Army prank when traveling for major away matches, Walker said, involves pouring liquid soap into public water fountains, turning them into overflowing bubble baths. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverywhere we go, we bring the party alongside an unrivalled enthusiasm and passion for the game,\u201d said Walker, a lifelong member of the devoted fanbase. <\/span><\/p>\n

Until Saturday, Scotland hadn\u2019t appeared in the World Cup for 28 years. Or won a match in 36 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ahead of the competition, Lee Turnbull, who was born in Scotland but grew up in London, joined the Boston Tartan Army Facebook group. Some fans, he said, had discussed popping cones onto statues once in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more \u2018What you achieved . . . is no small thing\u2019: Globe Foundation\/Richard J. Phelps Scholar-Athletes honored<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as someone saw a cone and decided to put it on a statue, it just took over,\u201d said Turnbull, 43, who now lives in California but is back in Boston with his wife to cheer on the Scottish team. <\/span><\/p>\n

While at the Charlestown Navy Yard this week, he adorned a hippo sculpture with a cone. To help a friend\u2019s son understand Scottish culture, Turnbull explained the tradition. <\/span><\/p>\n

Soon enough, the boy was climbing the Mary Dyer statue outside the State House.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little mark, and it\u2019s a little bit of fun,\u201d he said. \u201cIt now defines a culture, almost.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear whether this has all been a nuisance to local officials. The city couldn\u2019t be reached for comment Tuesday evening. But several Scots said the cones have repeatedly been removed \u2014 and promptly put back up. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will go on shoulders. They\u2019ll do whatever it takes,\u201d said Angus Thomson, 63, who is from Scotland and now lives in Australia. In Boston for the World Cup, he placed cones on sculptures in Faneuil Hall Marketplace.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an off-the-cuff thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI looked at a traffic cone. I looked at a statue. They really should be together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans of the cone head customhave enthusiastically shared photos on social media. And both locals and Scots alike have snapped selfies alongside them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they saw traffic cones in the center of Boston, there was only one place they were going to go,\u201d quipped Alan McCloskey, 61, of Edinburgh.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Most Mass. voters cool to congestion pricing, saying they oppose paying more to drive into Boston with less traffic<\/a><\/p>\n

Take a look at some more cones spotted on statues around the city:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Revelers have perched bright orange cones like party hats on statues of Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Paul Revere, and Molly Malone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy are traffic cones appearing on statues all over Boston during the World Cup? 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