Flag Institute Spring 2026 Conference sponsored by Flagmakers

A conference featuring a programme of contemporary and historical vexillological presentations and site visits around Bristol.

Saturday 30 May, Gather Round, 15-16 Brunswick Square, Bristol BS2 8NX

10.30am: registration opens

11am – 6pm: presentations (see below)

6pm - 7.30pm: A bespoke walking tour through Bristol's old town with experienced local guide Duncan McKellar. Duncan is the founder of the city’s top three walking tours and will lead us through historic backstreets to finish on the harbourside.

Along the way we’ll touch on Bristol’s civic life, processions, public symbolism and maritime heritage, with chance to spot where coats of arms, guild histories and other emblems still shape the cityscape. We’ll discuss Bristol’s Saxon origins, its trading past, the Blitz and even 1960s rock and roll.

Passing pirate haunts, merchant houses and Robinson Crusoe's first port of call, we’ll end our unique stroll on the waterfront – at the pub where Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his classic Treasure Island.

7.30pm: President’s Drinks at The Llandoger Trow

Sunday 31 May

10.00am – 10.40am: M Shed (part of Bristol Museums)

An expert guide will bring M Shed to life, introducing its galleries, explaining how M Shed came into being, and sharing memorable stories you won’t find on any label. The tour offers a lively introduction to Bristol’s past and present, giving a vivid sense of the city’s character and its place in the wider world.

Whether you already know the city or are discovering it for the first time, the tour will add colour, context and plenty of talking points to the conference weekend.

11.30am – 1pm: SS Great Britain

An expert guide will lead a lively tour of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s legendary steamship SS Great Britain, revealing its remarkable story and the experiences of the passengers and crew who travelled the world on board. The tour explores daily life at sea, global routes and cargoes, and the ship’s role in transforming maritime travel. Along the way, our guide will highlight the use of flags and ensigns, adding an extra layer of interest for vexillologists. This visit promises an atmospheric journey through Victorian seafaring, engineering innovation, and the wider world that the SS Great Britain helped to connect.

The Saturday conference programme will feature the following presentations:

Cry God for Harry, England and St ... who?: An exploration of the chequered history and strange resurrection of the English national flag

John Cartledge, Flag Institute and speaker at ICV25, Rotterdam; ICV26, Sydney; ICV27, London; ICV28, San Antonio; ICV30 Beijing

Special preview of presentation to be delivered at the 31st International Congress of Vexillology in Paris, 6-10 July 2026

The summer of 2025 saw an unprecedented eruption of flags on lampposts in many English towns and cities, with the cross of St George prominent among them. But who exactly was St George, what does he have to do with England, and what message were the organisers of this sudden outburst of vexillilogical devotion to him seeking to convey?

Always the bridesmaid … rank flags of vice, deputy or assistant presidents, ministers and officials

John Hall FF FFI, Flag Institute Chairman

For every Donald Trump there is often a JD Vance waiting just one step from power. Many countries have flags and standards for all manner of office-holders and their deputies. John will journey into the obscure recesses of the broom cupboard of state to explore symbols of rank, particularly those in the second or third tiers of protocol. And he will seek to answer that age-old question, ‘Why does an admiral have no balls at all?’

Flag flying regulations and protocol

Geoff Parsons MSc CEng FIET FFI, Flag Institute Chairman (former)

Demystifying UK flag regulations and protocol, this session aims to encourage confident and informed flag flying, supported by official Flag Institute guidance. Geoff will cover where and how flags may be flown, who is permitted to fly them, and the correct procedures for display, including order of precedence and position. It will highlight real-world examples of political sensitivities, conflicts with local authorities and breaches of flag protocol, inviting delegates to review sample displays and spot instances of non-compliance.

Subjective views on US state flags: 123 polling studies

Alan Hardy, Flag Institute; North American Vexillological Association Flag Design Committee

Furthering his interest in US state flags, in 2017 Alan established, within a public forum, a comprehensive methodology for soliciting viewpoints and administering polls on all current flags and known redesigns. From then until 2025, month-in/month-out, some 200,000 flags were assessed, and the resulting study has identified and advanced several front-running options for a vastly improved set of designs.

This wrap-up presentation looks to assess the project and tries to point ways forward. How can changes be implemented without incurring vast expense or running the risk of built-in social blowback?

More speakers and presentations to be announced.