Nearly a year after Gov. Spencer Cox signed Utah’s new state flag into law, the beehive banner became official Saturday.
The occasion was marked with a celebration Saturday at the Capitol, where a group called the Utah Symbols Commission unveiled a 60-by-30-foot version of the new tricolor flag, which features a beehive and five-sided star in the middle.
The blue stripe atop the new banner is meant to represent Utah’s “wide-open skies” and lakes. The white of the flag represents Utah’s snowcapped mountains, while the red lower third is meant to symbolize southern Utah’s redrock canyons.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah's new Beehive Flag is hoisted up between two fire trucks ahead of a ceremony to commemorate Utah Flag Day and to celebrate Utah's new Beehive Flag on the steps of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
State leaders and members of the public involved in the creation of the flag — a process that started in 2019 — were invited to the celebration Saturday, which marked the flag’s formal “effective date.”
The former flag, known by some in vexillology as a “seal on a bedsheet,” is still recognized as an official flag of the state and will continue to be flown for official ceremonies, special events and during legislative sessions.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox uses a Navy officer sword to cut the brail, a historic Navy tradition for hoisting a new flag, during a ceremony to commemorate Utah Flag Day and to celebrate Utah's new Beehive Flag on the steps of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
“As a historical emblem, Utah’s seal will continue to be displayed — and continue to honor our state’s legacy,” according to Utah’s flag website.
Utah is not the only state to update its flag in recent years. At least four other states have considered more modern changes to their state flags.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox speaks during a ceremony to commemorate Utah Flag Day and to celebrate Utah's new Beehive Flag on the steps of the Utah Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 9, 2024.