The city council has confirmed that the giant St George's Day flag will be draped over the Council House on Friday, April 22, to celebrate the patron saint's day. The flag, which will be on the front of the building in Old Market Square, is the largest in England.
On Wednesday (April 20) workers were spotted attaching cables to the front of the building in preparation for raising the flag. The flag will be raised the day before the celebration are due to start.
The celebrations will see the St George's Day Parade return to the city centre after it was cancelled due to Covid restrictions. St George's Day falls on Saturday, April 23, and the parade will start at 12pm.
Read more: Excitement as St George's Parade through Nottingham to return after 3 years
The parade will start at the Thurland pub in Pelham Street before moving to Hounds Gate. There will also be a raffle as part of the celebrations with prizes donated from local businesses including beautician, takeaway and DG taxi vouchers. All of the proceeds will go on keeping the parade as an annual event.
Philip Harwood, branch secretary for The Royal Society of St George in Radford, the group organising the parade, said: "The is a focal point and a great thing for the city. The Royal Society of St George has always said that while that flag goes up, we will always have a parade in the square because it goes hand in hand.
"It's a spectacle to have the festivities going in front of the parade and it's a great backdrop to have. There aren't any other councils who do so it's a great thing to have for Nottingham."
He added: "I'm hoping the weather keeps and looking forward to seeing everyone out again. I'm looking forward to the colour and festivities. It's going to be good to see everyone being patriotic and enjoying life again."
Tim Pollard, Nottingham's official Robin Hood, is leading the parade this year and is delighted to be taking part in the celebrations. He believes that the flag represents the return to normality for the city.
"The flag symbolises our celebration of the saint's day. I'm really pleased that they are going to go ahead because we've had a couple of years now where we haven't been able to celebrate. We are celebrating a new start in the city as everyone comes out of lockdown where we learn to live with the restrictions being lifted and moving on. We are very proud as it's a symbol of starting again," he said.
He added: "I'm very proud to be taking part in it too as it's a wonderful thing. I've been doing it for quite some time now and it's a massive privilege and a pleasure to take part. For me, it's a return to normality too as I've not been doing Robin Hood stuff for a bit now so it's lovely to be included and representing the city in something so important nationally."
