Buying a pride flag: sizes, materials and how to fly it
Most pride flags sold in the UK are cheap printed polyester, and for a bedroom wall or a single Pride weekend that's all you need. If the flag is going on a pole outside for the summer, a few details make the difference between one season and several.
Sizes
| 5 ft × 3 ft (150 × 90 cm) | The standard size. Fits a typical garden or wall-mounted flagpole and suits a wall, a window or a march. Almost every pride flag is available in it. |
|---|---|
| 3 ft × 2 ft (90 × 60 cm) | Good for windows, desks and small poles, and easier to carry. |
| 8 ft × 5 ft (240 × 150 cm) and up | For tall poles, venues and big displays. Check your pole height first: a rough rule is a flag length about a quarter to a third of the pole's height. |
| Hand and table flags | Small flags on a stick or a desk stand, for events, offices and classrooms. |
Materials
Printed polyester (often listed as "100D polyester") is light, cheap and flies in a gentle breeze. The design is printed on one side and shows through, mirrored, on the back. It fades and frays faster outdoors.
Woven or "knitted" polyester is heavier and more durable, the type used for official and council flags. Sewn or appliqué flags, with each stripe stitched separately, last longest and look the same from both sides, but cost much more.
Fixings
- Brass eyelets (grommets): two metal rings down the hoist side for clipping to a halyard or hooks. Standard on 5 × 3 flags.
- Canvas header: a strong fabric strip along the hoist that the eyelets go through. It stops the eyelets tearing out in wind.
- Sleeve: a fabric tube that slides over a pole. Best for wall-mounted poles and parade poles.
- Rope and toggle: the traditional fixing on proper flagpoles.
Making a flag last outdoors
- Look for double-stitched or four-row-stitched fly ends. The free edge is where flags fray first.
- Take the flag in during gales. Most damage happens in a few windy days.
- Trim and re-hem a frayed edge early, before it unravels further.
- Wash on a gentle cycle and dry it flat. Never put a wet flag away rolled up.
Flying a pride flag in the UK
In England, flags come under the outdoor advertisement rules rather than ordinary planning permission. Those rules let you fly certain flags without asking the council, and the government's plain English guide to flying flags includes the six-stripe Rainbow flag in that list. Other pride designs, such as the Progress Pride flag, aren't named, so for those the council's normal rules on flags apply. There are limits on the size of the flag and on how many flags you fly, and stricter rules apply to listed buildings, conservation areas and National Parks. If you rent, your tenancy may restrict fixings on the building. If in doubt, check with your local council's planning department.