BOSTON (AP) 鈥� Fresh off its first-class flight from Glasgow, it received a reception befitting a visiting dignitary: a bagpiper in full regalia playing inside Boston Logan International Airport. Waiting to greet it were diplomats, the governor and Boston鈥檚 mayor.
The guest of honor? An orange traffic cone.
Tuesday鈥檚 arrival of the 鈥淏oston Cone鈥� marked the latest chapter in the city’s unlikely love affair with , whose habit of placing traffic cones atop statues during the run last month turned the humble orange cone into one of the tournament鈥檚 defining symbols.
鈥淚 have to admit, this is probably 鈥� yes, it is 鈥� my first official welcoming ceremony for a traffic cone,鈥� Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in the airport’s Terminal E, before signing her name to the cone. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a pretty special one, isn鈥檛 it? Because this cone tells the story of what happened this summer. What happened in Boston, what happened in Massachusetts.鈥�
鈥淎nd special thanks to the Scots for ,鈥� she added to laughter. 鈥淚 do promise you, when you return 鈥� we will never again run out of beer in Massachusetts.鈥�
During , Boston bars struggled to keep up with the Tartan Army鈥檚 thirst, with some running out of beer and scrambling for emergency deliveries. The fans transformed parts of Boston into an unofficial outpost of Scotland, filling downtown with bagpipes, songs and chants while bright orange traffic cones sprouted atop some of the city鈥檚 most recognizable landmarks 鈥� from Samuel Adams outside Faneuil Hall to Red Auerbach outside TD Garden, former Mayor Kevin White near Quincy Market and even the beloved Make Way for Ducklings statues in the Public Garden.
鈥淭here are still some traffic cones atop our most important statues,鈥� Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joked Tuesday, recalling how Boston had 鈥渦nofficially become New Scotland.鈥�
The official commemorative cone, decorated with illustrations celebrating Boston and Scotland and the slogan 鈥淣o Boston, No Party,鈥� will spend the next week visiting landmarks across Massachusetts to raise money for mental health charities before returning home to Scotland.
The tradition dates to Glasgow, where placing bright orange traffic cones atop public statues began as a late-night prank in the 1980s before evolving into an unofficial symbol of the country鈥檚 irreverent humor. The best-known example is the Duke of Wellington statue in the city center, where the cone has become so iconic that repeated efforts to remove it have been met with public opposition.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an in-joke that鈥檚 gone too far, actually,鈥� one of the cone’s Scottish escorts, Danny Campbell, said, laughing as he stood beside the cone in a kilt. 鈥淏ut no, it isn鈥檛 a joke. This is a metaphor for life.鈥�
Campbell said people can become consumed by 鈥済oing to our jobs and cooking sausages and all the sort of serious stuff that adults have to do鈥� and lose sight of what matters.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what our countrymen represented when they came here,鈥� he said, speaking of . 鈥淭hey 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.鈥�
鈥淭his is not just a silly cone,鈥� Campbell said. 鈥淚t means love. It means love, and that is the whole point.鈥�
___
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
