thumb|A banner drop hanging from a bridge in a public location

A banner drop is the protest action of putting a banner in a public place to spread a message and raise awareness. The banner may target a corporation, a law, a political campaign, or any activism. The banner may itself be dropped on an activists' target, or in conjunction with the beginning of a campaign.

Performing a banner drop may constitute criminal vandalism and criminal trespassing depending on where the banner is placed and on the legal jurisdiction in which the activity occurred.

There are several ways in which banners are constructed and placed. Most often, a banner is decorated with an activist slogan or picture using paint, dye or, in some cases, screen printing. The banner is then often either tied to the target or secured to it using ropes and weights. Alternatively they can be held by activists within and atop pedestrian walkways

Global banner drop

thumb|Banners hung on [[North Bridge, Edinburgh, 2017 #BridgesNotWalls]]

<nowiki>#</nowiki>BridgesNotWalls was a global banner drop campaign to protest against Donald Trump's stance on immigration. On January 20, 2017, the day of Trump's presidential inauguration, activists around the world dropped banners from over 200 iconic bridges across five continents.

In London, banners were dropped from at least eight bridges spanning the River Thames including the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Southwark, Millennium, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster and Vauxhall bridges. Other historic bridges were scenes of banner drops including Ironbridge in England, North Bridge in Scotland, Dyfi Bridge in Wales, Oberbaum Bridge in Germany, Auckland Harbour Bridge in New Zealand, as well as bridges in Australia, France, Ireland, Nepal, and the United States. Rallies were also held in Japan, the Philippines, Belgium, Tokyo, and Moscow.

Banner drops can vary greatly. Here are some samples of protest banner drops around the world.

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File:Coal law protest Greenpeace banner Reichstag Berlin 2020-07-03 56.jpg|Germany 2020, on the Reichstag building protesting the coal phase-out law

File:Teen Activist Banner-Drop in Bois, ID Breach Dams Save Salmon.jpg|USA 2021, activists for wild salmon conservation

File:Apollo House occupation.jpg|Ireland 2017, protest-squatting in an office building slated for demolition

File:Protest banner against Nobian, Winschoten (2022) 07.jpg|Netherlands 2022, protesting salt mining

File:Black Lives Matter protest signs.jpg|USA 2020, the fence erected around Lafayette Square following the clearing of the park for a Trump photo op

File:Shaheen Bagh protests Wikipedia banner at the protest site.jpg|India 2020, a Wikipedia page copied onto a drop banner, Shaheen Bagh protests

File:Lion Rocks Umbrella Revolution Banner 20141024.jpg|Hong Kong 2014, vertical banner on Lion Rock, Umbrella Revolution

File:光復香港時代革命，香港機場.jpg|Hong Kong 2019, Liberate Hong Kong banner inside airport

File:Ccsubanner.jpg|USA 2006, on the campus of Central Connecticut State University

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See also

  • Vertical banner

References

  • Banner drop guide by Amnesty International (2019)
  • How to do a Successful and Safe Banner Drop by Jonathan Sriranganathan (2025)