Wales Flags – Welsh Flag, Red Dragon Bunting & Hand Flags

Wales flags: Y Ddraig Goch and the story of the red dragon

The Welsh flag shows a red dragon, Y Ddraig Goch, walking left to right across a field split white over green, in a 3:5 proportion. The dragon is the oldest emblem on any British flag: Welsh tradition ties it to the Romano-British kings and to Cadwaladr of Gwynedd in the seventh century, and Henry Tudor marched under a red dragon on a green-and-white standard to Bosworth in 1485. The green and white are the Tudor livery colours. For all that age, the design was only made the official flag of Wales in 1959, and because Wales was already joined to England in 1606 the dragon never made it onto the Union Jack.

Our Wales flag has the dragon facing the pole and the claws, tongue and tail detail kept crisp, which cheaper flags often lose. For a darker look the Welsh Dragon Black flag puts the dragon on black, and the Welsh Gold Dragon recalls the golden dragon standard raised by Owain Glyndŵr in 1401.

St David’s Cross and the old Welsh flags

The St David’s Dragon flag combines the gold cross on black of St David with the red dragon, a design popular with churches and choirs for 1 March. The Free Wales Army flag with the white eagle is the historical oddity of the range, stocked for collectors and re-enactors.

When Welsh flags are flown

St David’s Day on 1 March is the first order rush of the year, with primary schools, chapels and Welsh societies across Britain wanting bunting and hand flags by the last week of February. The Six Nations runs through February and March as well, so a Wales v England weekend at the Principality Stadium doubles the demand. The National Eisteddfod in August, Owain Glyndŵr Day on 16 September and any Wales football qualification keep the dragon flying through the rest of the year.

Sizes and uses for a Wales flag

5ft x 3ft is the one for a garden pole, a rugby club bar or a holiday cottage in Pembrokeshire. 3ft x 2ft goes in a window, on a bedroom wall or on the short pole of a boat; 8ft x 5ft is for a school or council flagpole where the dragon needs to read from the road. Eyelets are standard and the DuraFlag grade can be ordered with rope and toggle or clips for a permanent pole.

Grades: Flagtex, Flagtex Nylon and DuraFlag

Flagtex is the light printed polyester that most supporters buy for a tournament. Flagtex Nylon is a heavier cloth with a quadruple-stitched fly end, better for a flag that will be hung on a wall and taken down for every match. The DuraFlag Wales flag is the one for a flagpole that flies the dragon all year, with UV-fast inks, double-stitched hems and a reinforced hoist.

Wales bunting

Wales bunting comes in rectangular and triangular pennants on 3m to 20m lengths, printed on the same weatherproof cloth as the flags, and Welsh Dragon Black bunting adds a smarter line for a bar or a stage. It is what schools hang for St David’s Day concerts and what rugby clubs string along the clubhouse for the Six Nations.

Welsh hand flags, car flags, windsocks and table flags

Welsh hand flags on wooden sticks are sold in packs for school parades and fan zones, with a black dragon version for a change. The Wales car flag clips to a window for the drive to Cardiff, the Wales windsock keeps the dragon moving on a campsite or caravan pole, and the Wales table flag with base suits a St David’s Day dinner, a male voice choir concert or a reception desk. A Wales bandana rounds off the match-day kit.

Welsh county flags: Pembrokeshire, Glamorgan, Anglesey and more

The Welsh counties have flags of their own and we stock them alongside the national flag: the blue and gold of Pembrokeshire, the three chevrons of Glamorgan, the lions of Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Flintshire, Merionethshire and Monmouthshire. The other home nations are a click away: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Union Jack all sit under British flags.

Welsh flag FAQs

Popular in this collection

• Wales Flag (3x2 to 8x5ft, 3 grades)from £6.99
• Wales Buntingfrom £9.98
• Welsh Hand Flagsfrom £5.99
• Wales Car Flag£7.99
• Welsh Dragon Black Flagfrom £6.99
• St David’s Dragon Flag£7.99
• Telescopic Flag Poles3m–12m