Spring and Winter Conferences

Bringing together flag experts and enthusiasts worldwide, our Flag Institute Spring and Winter Conferences are the highlight of our year. Everyone welcome, a friendly atmosphere, and a great time talking flags past, present and future.

• BOOK FROM £6.13 for our FI Spring ’26 Conference sponsored by Flagmakers
• UPCOMING: FI Winter ’26 Conference & AGM, FREE & ONLINE, Saturday 14 November, 10.00 to 17.00 GMT
  • Other recent venues include: York, Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Manchester

FI Spring ’26 Conference sponsored by Flagmakers

Saturday and Sunday, 30/31 May, Bristol

Contemporary and historical vexillological presentations, exclusive guided tours, and social time. 

Prices from £6.13 (including booking fee): BOOK NOW.

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

10.30am: registration opens

11am–6pm: presentations 

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

Special preview of presentation to be delivered at the 31st International Congress of Vexillology, 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 vexillological devotion seeking to convey?

John Cartledge is a Flag Institute member and past speaker at ICV25 Rotterdam, ICV26 Sydney, ICV27 London, ICV28 San Antonio and ICV30 Beijing.

• Eugene Byrne: Bristol: symbols and rituals 1373-2022

Bristol has always had a strong sense of exceptionalism, much of it rooted in its history as a trading port run by merchants rather than aristocrats or landowners. This mercantile oligarchy controlled the corporation but also exercised informal power through the Society of Merchant Venturers, an influential organisation which still exists today. We’ll look at the rise and decline of this local business elite from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century through the lens of its iconography, coats of arms and other symbols. Along the way we will also examine just a few of the civic rituals and spectacles the townsfolk enjoyed, from the Wars of the Roses right up to a more democratic age.

Eugene Byrne is an author, historian, and journalist who has written for numerous newspapers and magazines. He has written several books on Bristol’s history and is editor of the Bristol Post’s weekly local history supplement. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of the West of England.

• Royston Alan Griffey: The Vexillological Voyages of The Matthew of Bristol

The Matthew of Bristol is a replica late fifteenth-century caravel of Portuguese design. In 1997 the vessel retraced the epic 1497 voyage of exploration made from Bristol by John Cabot (Giovanni Cabotto), exactly 500 years later. The late Queen met the modern Matthew in Newfoundland (Canada), 500 years to the day after Cabot stepped ashore on 24 June 1497 to claim the ‘New Founde Landes’ on behalf of Henry VII.

During her voyages, both of exploration and as a trading vessel, the original 50-tun ship displayed a variety of Royal, national, municipal, ecclesiastical and personal flags, ensigns and banners. And, of course, the replica vessel did the same and still does as opportunity arises. This talk will bring to life those historic and contemporary flags, ensigns and banners.

Alderman Royston Alan Griffey JP is a former Chairman of The Matthew of Bristol Trust and now Honorary Admiral of The Matthew of Bristol.

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

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?’

John Hall FF FFI is the current Chairman of the Flag Institute.

• Geoff Parsons: Flag flying regulations and protocol

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.

Geoff Parsons MSc CEng FIET FFI is a former Flag Institute Chairman

• Alan Hardy: Subjective views on US state flags: 123 polling studies

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?

Alan Hardy is a Flag Institute member and convenor of the NAVA Flag Design Committee

6pm–7.30pm: Old Town walking tour

Duncan McKellar, founder of Bristol’s top three walking tours, will lead us on a bespoke stroll through the old town’s historic backstreets to end on the harbourside. En route 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 finish our unique tour 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: guided tour of M Shed (part of Bristol Museums)

An expert guide will bring M Shed to life, introducing its galleries, explaining its origins and sharing memorable stories unseen 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: guided tour of 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.

Past events

FI Winter ’25 Conference

Saturday 15 November 2025, online

FI Spring ’25 Conference

17/18 May 2025, Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, York 

• *Stephen Rayner: The contested legitimacy of Croatian symbols in the Anglosphere, 1973–99
• *Mike Scott Rumble, Chairman, White Lion Society: Into the azure: The vexillology of civil aviation  
• *Gustavo Tracchia, AAV, CIDEC Foundation: An introduction to flags and sashes
• *Oskar Pernefeldt, President, IFOPE–O: Uniting under one banner: Designing a flag for Planet Earth
• *Danladi Kole Bako, Bankoleart: Colours: Symbolism for medium of communication
• *Geoff Parsons, past Chairman: An introduction to standards, guidons, colours, guns and truncheons
  • * Flag Institute

Day 1 ended with our President’s Drinks and River Cruise, while Day 2 featured two guided visits:

• Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and its collection of heraldic craft guild banners – led by Lauren Marshall, Museum Director 
• York Army Museum – private opening; led by Major (Ret’d) Graeme Green, Museum Director and curator of the Royal Dragoon Guards collection

FI Winter ’24 Conference

Saturday 16 November 2024, online

• Francis M. O’Donnell, President, Genealogical Society of Ireland & Michael P. O’Crowley, Clans of Ireland: Flags and emblems of the clans of Ireland
• *Pier Paolo Lugli, President, CISV: A story of Libyan flags  
• Ted Kaye & *Brian Cham, NAVA; Andrew Prekker, Tyler & Jenae Michaletz, designers: The star-spangled angle: inside Minnesota’s flag design process
• *Tareth Peacock, Flags in Focus: Urban symbols: The role and relevance of flags
  • * Flag Institute

• *Graham Bartram, Chief Vexillologist: A Flag for a polluted world: Antarctica Flag redesign proposal
• *Geoff Parsons, past Chairman: Flags of the Antarctic Territories and the southern regions of South America 
• *Brian Cham, NAVA: Unravelling the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag (Māori Flag) through the eyes of its designer  
• *John Cartledge: Flags and the law in England
• Patrick Rennie, President, Mars Society UK: Interplanetary flag design: A new flag for Mars
  • * Flag Institute

FI Winter ’23 Conference

FI Spring ’23 Conference

29 April 2023, Victory Services Club, London

• Mick McTiernan, military historian: Choosing a flag for the Cretan state
• Erik Nystul, Utah State Flag Task Force: The new Utah State Flag
• * Rachel Phelan, textile conservator (Dublin): Flying high at St Patricks: Conservation during Covid
• Dr Mario Jareb, Croatian Institute of History and Matica Hrvatska: From checkerboard to tricolor: Development and use of the Croatian coat of arms and flag throughout the centuries
  • * Flag Institute

FI Winter ’22 Conference

19 November 2022, Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds

• Maura Andreoni, historian and translator, The botanical world and state flags
• *Graham Bartram, Chief Vexillologist, End of an era, beginning of a new realm
• *Philip Tibbetts, Communities Vexillologist & March Pursuivant Extraordinary: March of the flags: In conversation with Philip Tibbetts
  • * Flag Institute

FI Winter ’21 Conference

20 November 2021, People’s History Museum, Manchester (Golden Jubilee Celebration)

• Luke Jerram, visual artist: In memoriam
• Dr Matthew Stallard, Research Associate, UCL: The Black Country Flag row: Representing everyone?
• *John Cartledge: One down, only 10,448 to go … the gestation and birth of a town flag [Elstree and Borehamwood]
  • * Flag Institute

23 April 2021, online (Golden Jubilee Celebration)

• Patrick O’Connor, filmmaker, Look Away, Look Away 
• *Malcolm Farrow (President), Lt. Col. Dr Željko Heimer (President, FIAV), Andrew Rosindell MP (Chairman, Flags and Heraldry Committee APPG), *Graham Bartram (Chief Vexillologist), *Philip Tibbetts (Communities Vexillologist), Flag Institute members
  • * Flag Institute 

FI Winter ’20 Conference (cancelled)

FI Spring ’20 Conference (cancelled)

FI Winter ’19 Conference

2 November 2019, People’s History Museum, Manchester

• *Annie M. Platoff, NAVA: Soiuz and symbolic union: representations of unity in Soviet symbolism
• Dr Andrea Cioncolini & Dr Mostafa R. A. Nabawy, University of Manchester: Flags that can generate energy from wind and sun
• *Hannah Patton, HeadStart Kent, Flast on tour: Talking about flags in unusual places
• *Bernard Muscat, Social Media Co-ordinator: The World Cup of Flags
• *Leigh Wetherall, Convenor: St George Festival, Genoa
  • * Flag Institute