Boston’s bars and shops have been hit by a Scottish rush that is still being felt days later. Around 50,000 Tartan Army fans passed through the city around Scotland’s two group stage matches, and the result was record beer sales, fast-moving football shirts and a public mood that seemed to turn in the visitors’ favor.
The timing matters because Scotland still have a match against Morocco in Boston later, which means the run is not over yet. Videos of the Tartan Army’s singing, dancing and bagpipe-playing spread quickly, and many locals said they would be sad to see them go. What could have been a brief tournament stop became a citywide event that people were watching, sharing and joining in real time.
For businesses, the surge was immediate. Devon Savage said the Tartan Army had “drunk them dry,” and said Boston Beer had to schedule an “emergency delivery” on Saturday morning. He said the company sold over 3,000 pints of Boston Lager over the weekend, four times as much as it typically runs through on a four-day holiday stretch like 4th of July, and that teams picked up 70 empty kegs on Monday. A number of other local pubs reported record sales as the crowd moved through the city.
The football shop owners saw the same wave from a different angle. Sean Hemenway said Scotland tops were flying off the shelves at his classic football strip store, with 67 units sold by 14:45 on game day. He said even USA strips were 29 off the pace, and that many Bostonians were coming in after meeting the fans out. “Once the Scots are gone it’ll be a day of mourning. You guys are a part of Boston now,” he said.
That warm reception came with a less tidy reality behind the scenes: the fans who were celebrated for their energy also forced emergency deliveries and stripped bars and pubs of stock. In Boston Common on Wednesday, hundreds of people gathered after a social media call, swapping Irn Bru and Root Beer and chanting “No Scotland, No Party,” a sign that the city’s fascination had moved well beyond sport.
The wider meaning is plain enough. The Tartan Army did not just visit Boston; it reshaped the city’s weekend trade and its mood. With Scotland still due to play Morocco in Boston, the only open question is how much longer the remaining fans will stay before the crowd heads on to Florida.
