Bunting provides a simple way to decorate your space on a special occasion. From baby showers to weddings and birthdays, a string of pennant flags hanging across your party photos will add an instant sense of fun and celebration. Plus, if you take time to carefully store it away, most bunting can be reused!
Although choosing bunting is largely a matter of personal taste, it's still important to consider the length, material and whether it's suitable for indoor or outdoor use. In this article, we'll share our tips and advice to help you decide, along with our picks for the 10 best bunting in the UK, available from Amazon, John Lewis and more.
Bunting looks better if there is plenty of it, be that multiple strings crisscrossing the area, or chains of flags looping between furniture. That's why you should always consider the size of your entertaining space when buying bunting and aim for at least 3 metres of bunting for every 2 metres you want to decorate.
It should also be mentioned that the dimensions of the individual flags can vary, from a dainty 14 cm to 20 centimetres or more. If you have a big garden to decorate, opting for bunting with larger pennants will be the better choice, as they can be seen by your guests and will show up better in the all-important photos!
Why not add a piñata to your party to get your guests up and having fun?
Single-sided bunting is usually easier on the wallet, as it only has the design printed on one side. This looks wonderful set against a wall. However, if guests walk behind single-sided bunting which has been strung across an area, it can look a bit underwhelming.
Good-quality cotton bunting is usually double-sided as the two layers of fabric, which give the flags their neat edge, ensure that there is a design on both sides. What's more, if you're planning to hang your bunting against a wall as a permanent feature, choosing double-sided means you can simply reverse it should it become faded in the sun.
Paper and card bunting is a great choice for decorating inside. If well cared for, it can be reused tens of times before it needs recycling, saving you money whilst being kinder to the planet. However, no matter how cute paper or card bunting can be, it just won't last if the weather becomes wet or windy.
Cotton, hessian burlap and polyester flags will all survive outside in wind and rain. Although, it's still best to store fabric bunting away from direct sunlight and the elements in between uses, and once the fabric has fully dried out.
When it comes to finding the right fabric, cotton and hessian have a lovely, 'shabby chic' vibe, whereas polyester has a shiny finish. Just be aware that polyester cannot be composted at the end of their lifespan, unlike cotton and burlap.
Whatever the weather, ensure you have a cake knife for when it's time to cut the cake!
Don't get caught out by bunting which requires hours of self-assembly, as stringing fiddly pennants onto a fraying cord is certainly not what you'd like to be doing while your guests are arriving. Fabric bunting is often a fail-safe option for those wishing to completely avoid self-assembly. However, it's worth noting that if you ever wash your cotton bunting, you'll face hours of ironing to get those pennants back into crisp points.
Certain types of bunting will inevitably require some form of self-assembly, such as customisable age strings. These need minimal input and skill, in most cases, as you'll only need to add a single flag or sticker to the existing bunting string. This small amount of effort pays off, as you can re-use the same bunting throughout years of childhood birthdays.
Save time by offering meat-free guests these delicious ready-made vegan party foods.
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
This article’s chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() George Home | 2 ![]() Dusenly | 3 ![]() G2PLUS | 4 ![]() G2PLUS | 5 ![]() Duufin | 6 ![]() Talking Tables | 7 ![]() G2PLUS | 8 ![]() Ginger Ray | 9 ![]() Flyingstart | 10 ![]() Ginger Ray |
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Name | Paper Star Garland | Colorful Happy Birthday Burlap Banner | Large Fabric Bunting Banner | Extra Large Fabric Bunting | Dog Birthday Banner | Rose Gold Fabric Bunting | Double Sided Fabric Bunting Banner | Customisable Age Black and Green Level Up Bunting | White Heart Bunting Banner | Party Triangle Bunting |
Features | Plastic-Free, Reusable Chain of Beautiful Tissue-Paper Stars | Robust Burlap Lettered Bunting for Birthday Parties | Huge 10 Metre Cotton Polka Dot Bunting | Ditsy Floral Double-Sided Cotton Bunting Perfect for Garden Parties | Cute Dogs in Glasses to Set a Fun Tone | Sophisticated Tasseled Bunting for Celebrations and Home Decoration | Ideal Bunting for a Baby Showers or Nursery Decoration | Customisable Age Bunting For the Gaming Fanatic in Your Life | Understated Paper Bunting in White for Weddings and Romantic Occasions | 5 Meters of Cardboard Bunting for a Pride Party |
Price | £1.50 | £8.99 | £14.99 | £7.99 | £5.99 | £18.00 | £5.99 | £7.99 | £5.99 | £7.00 |
Length | 3.6 m | 3 m (total) | 10 m | 3.7 m | 4 m (total) | 3 m | 3.3 m | 1.8 m (total) | 3.8 m | 5 m |
Flag Size | 18.5 cm (tip to tip) | 14 cm x 19 cm | 17 cm x 19 cm | 17 x 22 cm | 19 cm x 16 cm | - | 17 cm x 17 cm | - | 15.5 cm x 17.5 cm | 21.5 cm x 14.5 cm |
Double Sided | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Material | Tissue paper | Burlap fabric | Cotton fabric | Cotton fabric | Cardboard | Cotton fabric | Cotton fabric | Carboard | Paper | Carboard |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Self-Assembly Required | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
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This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£1.50
Length | 3.6 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 18.5 cm (tip to tip) |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Tissue paper |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£8.99
Length | 3 m (total) |
---|---|
Flag Size | 14 cm x 19 cm |
Double Sided | No |
Material | Burlap fabric |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | Yes |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£14.99
Length | 10 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 17 cm x 19 cm |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Cotton fabric |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | Yes |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£7.99
Length | 3.7 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 17 x 22 cm |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Cotton fabric |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | Yes |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£5.99
Length | 4 m (total) |
---|---|
Flag Size | 19 cm x 16 cm |
Double Sided | No |
Material | Cardboard |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No |
Self-Assembly Required | Yes |
£18.00
Length | 3 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | - |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Cotton fabric |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | Yes |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£5.99
Length | 3.3 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 17 cm x 17 cm |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Cotton fabric |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | Yes |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£7.99
Length | 1.8 m (total) |
---|---|
Flag Size | - |
Double Sided | No |
Material | Carboard |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No |
Self-Assembly Required | Yes |
£5.99
Length | 3.8 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 15.5 cm x 17.5 cm |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Paper |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
£7.00
Length | 5 m |
---|---|
Flag Size | 21.5 cm x 14.5 cm |
Double Sided | Yes |
Material | Carboard |
Suitable For Outdoor Use | No |
Self-Assembly Required | No |
Written and researched by Lucy Smith
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