Happy birthday banner

Happy birthday banner

This banner spells Happy birthday across 14 pennant flags, each a different bright colour, with a star flag between the two words. The flags are 12.8 by 17.2 cm, two to a landscape A4 sheet, so the whole banner takes seven sheets and hangs about 2.1 m long.

Last reviewed 3 October 2026

About this version

Happy birthday is the banner people print most, and the one that has to work on the morning of the party with no fuss. This version spells the two words across 13 pennant flags in rounded capitals, with a star on a fourteenth flag between them. The colours run through WallKiwi's bright mix in turn: coral, sunshine yellow, kiwi green, sky blue, lilac and berry, then round again, so no two neighbouring flags match. Letters on the yellow flags print in dark green rather than white, so every letter reads from across the room.

The flags are medium sized, 12.8 cm wide and 17.2 cm tall including the fold strip, and print two to a landscape A4 sheet. That is seven sheets for the whole banner, and about 2.1 m of string once the flags are threaded with a small gap between them. Add half a metre at each end for tying. If the wall is longer, switch to large flags, one to a sheet, and the same words stretch to about 2.8 m; for a cake table or a mantelpiece, small flags print four to a sheet and the banner comes in at about 1.5 m.

To add a name, type it after the words, such as Happy birthday Grace, and the tool adds a star and the extra letters. A child's age works too: Happy 5th birthday prints the 5 as its own flag. Keep an eye on the count the tool shows, because every letter is a flag and a long name adds a sheet or two.

Print on card if you can, at 100% rather than fit to page, so the flags come out at their true size. Cut round each pennant on the outline, fold the strip at the top back along the dashes, lay the string in the fold and tape it down. Thread the letters in order, checking the word as you go: the most common mistake is a pair of letters swapped in the middle. The flags can be folded flat and kept in an envelope for next year, which is another good reason to use card.