Trinidad and Tobago Flags – Trini Flag, Bunting & Hand Flags

The Trinidad and Tobago flag: red, white and black

The flag of Trinidad and Tobago is a red field crossed by a black diagonal band, edged in white, running from the top of the hoist to the bottom of the fly. It was designed by the Independence Committee chaired by the artist Carlisle Chang and first raised at midnight on 31 August 1962, the moment of independence from Britain. The official reading gives red for the warmth of the sun and the vitality of the people, white for the sea that surrounds the two islands and the purity of their aspirations, and black for the strength and unity of the nation and the wealth of its land. The diagonal runs from upper hoist to lower fly, so when the flag is hung vertically the band should still run from the top left; that is the detail most often printed wrong. Our Trinidad and Tobago flag has the diagonal at the correct angle with the white borders in proportion.

Carnival, Notting Hill and the national days

Trinidad Carnival, on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, is the festival the flag was made for, with steelbands, mas bands and soca from J’ouvert to Last Lap, and the London version, Notting Hill Carnival over the August bank holiday, was founded by Trinidadians and still runs on steelpan and Trini flags. Independence Day on 31 August, Republic Day on 24 September and Emancipation Day on 1 August are marked in Trinidad and in the UK community in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds with church services, dinners and flag displays. In sport the flag flies for the Soca Warriors, who reached the 2006 World Cup, for the West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium, for the Olympic medallists Hasely Crawford and Keshorn Walcott, and for Trinidadian netballers and sprinters at the Commonwealth Games.

Which size to buy

5ft x 3ft is the one to hold up on the road at Carnival, drape on a float or fly on a pole; 3ft x 2ft fits a window or a shorter pole; 8ft x 5ft covers a stage or a sound system frontage; and 20x12in goes on a car or a hand pole. Flagtex is the lighter printed polyester for indoor use and days out, and DuraFlag the knitted heavyweight with double-stitched edges for a flag left on a pole. Sewn headers with brass eyelets are standard, with clips and rope-and-toggle available on the DuraFlag.

Trinidad and Tobago bunting

Trinidad and Tobago bunting is a string of rectangular pennants on a tape in 3m and 9m lengths, each pennant carrying the red, white and black diagonal. A 3m length does a food stall or a doorway for Independence Day; a 9m length dresses a hall, a truck or a marquee for a fete. The pennants are polyester, printed both sides, and will survive a Carnival downpour.

Hand flags and table flags

Trinidad and Tobago hand flags on wooden sticks come in 9x6in and 18x12in, the Carnival essentials for waving on the road. The Trinidad and Tobago table flag is 6x4in on a base for a desk or a restaurant table, and the large wooden table flag at 18x12in suits a high commission or a community centre. Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada and Guyana flags are under world flags.

Trinidad and Tobago flag FAQs

Popular in this collection

• Trinidad & Tobago Flag (20x12in to 8x5ft, Flagtex or DuraFlag)from £6.99
• Trinidad & Tobago Bunting (3m or 9m)from £9.98
• Trinidad & Tobago Hand Flags (9x6in, 18x12in)from £5.99
• Trinidad & Tobago Table Flag 6x4in with Basefrom £1.98
• Trinidad & Tobago Large Wooden Table Flagfrom £3.98